Helix Amp Model Gallery - Real Controls vs Invented

[Presonid]

Helix's Guitar Input has a digitally-controlled analog pad before A/D conversion. FWIW, the impedance circuit is the same.

 

Edit November 2017:

 

2.30 firmware:

New Amps (7)

-Voltage Queen, based on* the Victoria Electro King

• 

http://www.victoriaamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/new3.jpg

 

 

Real: No Master, Volumen Normal, Volumen Tremolo, Depth, Voicing (Bass Treble), Frequency

Helix:: Drive1; Drive 2; Tone =Voicing Bass and Treble; No Mids

Drive 1 is the Volume Normal and Drive 2 is Volume Tremolo, the amp modeled has jumped Normal and Tremolo Channel.

 

The Electro King is an idealized recreation of the classic McCarty era(late 50's Gibson) GA-40. Its circa 1957 circuit features two cathode biased 6V6s for 15watts of recording and small club power. The heart and soul of the Electro King is its 5879 preamp circuit; a single NOS 5879 input pentode for each of the normal and tremolo channels provides rich distortion and natural tube compression at any volume setting. Notes seem to be ˜blown out of the amp with overdriven tones that are saturated, dynamic and musical. Jeff Tweedy has his hands on one, do you?

• 15 watts of power
• 1957 GA-40 Type Circuit
• Cathode Bias Class A Push/Pull Output
• Standard Speaker; American Made 12 Eminence, Jensen Alinco
• Tubes: 1-5Y3, 2-6V6, 2-12AX7,1-6SQ7, 2-5879

Breaks up almost immediately, especially with humbuckers. Zero headroom for cleans out of this thing.

It's clean to about 2.5. At 3 it starts to break up and by 3.5 it's completely overdriven.

The overdrive is real dirty in general and after about 6 on the dial it starts to introduce a bit of a high end treble buzz that sounds pretty cool when playing leads.

You can tone this back but turning the voicing dial more toward the bass side instead of treble. Find the sweetest tone for rythym to be right around 5.

Keep the dial at around 3 and play lightly on the strings it gives some nice cleans but when you really dig into the strings and you get the breakup.

The Trem is pretty over the top. If you crank it all the way up it almost sounds as if the amp is turning itself on and off. At lower more useable settings it seems to be very organic, like your riding a wave of sound.

 

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- Derailed Ingrid, based on* the Trainwreck Circuits Express

http://www.vintageguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/01_TRAINWRECK.jpg

 

http://www.vintageguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/02_TRAINWRECK.jpg

Real: Volumen; Treble; Mids; Bass; Presence; Bright Switch; No Masster

Helix Controls: Drive=Volumen; Treble; Mids; Bass; Presence; Bright (1, 2, 3); No Master -->10

 

 Preamp tubes: three ECC83

 Output tubes: two EL34, fixed bias

 Rectifier: solid state

 Output: 50 watts RMS +/-

 

The Express is Fischer™s rendition of a Marshall-style amplifier, but only in the broadest sense, given the tremendous amount of originality in his circuits. It carries two EL34s in fixed-bias Class AB, with three ECC83s in the preamp, along with controls for Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass and Presence on the front panel  all looking very plexi-like. But, very little of what goes on inside is done quite like Marshall; rather than the archetypal cathode-follower T-M-B tone stack of the Marshalls (and Fenders 5F6-A tweed Bassman), Fischers EQ stage follows the first preamp stage, with the Volume control placed after. Two further ECC83 gain stages, along with some interesting tweaks in each, ramp it up before it hits a long-tailed-pair phase inverter and what is a fairly conventional output stage. There are plenty of tricks throughout the rest of the amp, too, including a very robust six-diode bridge rectifier and heavy power filtering.

 

Component selection, transformer design and production, layout and wire runs, solder type and technique, and tube selection were all considered integral to the function of these amps, which were far from cookie-cutter designs. In this way, no two Express amps were built precisely the same, and every one was very precisely tuned with consideration of the whole.

 

[Trainwrecks] are the most touch-sensitive amps you ll ever play, by far. If you have a bad right hand, you do not want to play a Trainwreck! The sound's so immediate from the pick to coming out of the amp, [which] opens a whole new kind of playing. You've got to get used to it, I suppose. The best thing, in my opinion, about Trainwrecks, is the harmonics. With a fair amount of gain on them, you can hit a chord and literally hear every string and the harmonics developing off of the chord as you get further and further from [the attack].

Fischer himself always considered his creations more instruments than mere amplifiers, and built them very much with the realization some guitarists just might not control them very well.

 

When you start getting complex harmonics, that's what you need to make an amp sound complex. The more stable an amp becomes, the less complex it is.

 

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• Brit Trem Nrm, based on* the normal channel of the Marshall Plexi Tremolo 50
• Brit Trem Brt, based on* the bright channel of the Marshall Plexi Tremolo 50
• Brit Trem Jump, based on* the normal and bright channel (jumped) of the Marshall Plexi Tremolo 50

JMP 50 with a pair of EL34 output tubes and with a solid state rectifier.;

Real: Presence; Bass; Mid; Treble; Volumen Normal Channel; Volumen Bright Channel; No Master

Helix Control: Presence; Bass; Mid; Treble; Volumen Normal Channel; Volumen Bright Channel; Master = 10 -->No Master

 

The iconic JTM45 which got its initials from Marshall's son Jim Terry Marshall. A few years later, Marshall switched to KT66 tubes to create the even louder 100-watt Super Lead 1959. In 1968, the company dialed back the decibels with the unveiling of a 50-watt, small-box head that would be called the JMP an acronym for Jim Marshall Products.

 

What really makes this 68 JMP unique among its brethren is that it was built in early 1968 making the amp more efficient to build and still keeping it handwired, The use of EL34 power tubes, a solid-state rectifier tube for more gain, and two separate channels” bright and normal. Guitarists such as Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and countless others would eventually blend the two channels to get some of the most iconic guitar tones of all time.

 

The 1968 straight-front 4x12 has Celestion pre-Rola G12-30 speakers with 041 cones, as well as its original basket-weave grille.

Aesthetically, 1968 marked the first year Marshall switched to using white-script logos instead of gold lettering. That year also marked the first time front panels bore the JMP (rather than JTM) designation. Further, 68 saw one more Marshall evolution” the complete switchover from fret cloth to the basket-weave cab covering that had been partially instituted in late 1967.

 

In general, the Marshall amplifiers became "brighter" sounding through the years. While the JMP 50 watt electronic circuitry was similar to the JTM 45, the tone was quite different due; to the tuning of the circuit "brightness", the use of EL34 power amplifier tubes, solid state rectifier instead of a tube rectifier, and different electrical specifications for the both power and output transformers. Another key difference was the JMP 50 and JMP 100 amplifiers had a split biased preamp section for each channel, whereas the JTM 45 had a common biased preamp section.This resulted in the JMP amplifiers having slightly different gain in the first preamp stage for each channel, whereas the JTM amplifiers had the same gain in the first preamp stage for each channel. Both the JTM and JMP amplifiers had one bright and one dark channel for added bass response.

 

The metal paneled JMP amplifiers were equipped with EL34 power tubes that provided the famous cranked up "Marshall Crunch". EL34 tubes are known for their compressed, tight, and mid-focused distortion, in comparison to the JTM amplifiers that were equipped with 6L6 (5881/KT66) tubes that provided a more open and less heavy distortion. The JMP set the standards for hard rock tone.

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-Cartographer, based on* the Ben Adrian Cartographer

 

Helix Controls: Drive; Drive2; Bass; Mid; Treble; Master; Presence; Depth; Bright 1 On/Off; Bright 2 On/Off

 

it WELL out of Traynor land. It's mostly a modded 2204 Marshall, but with a pinch of Soldano, a pinch of Bogner, a pinch of Fryette*, and a scoop of Ben Adrian experiments.

The Cartographer amp in Helix is a model of an amp built for Ben Adrian, use in his band "Cartographer." The amp started its life as a 1977 Traynor YBA-1. When it came into his possession, it had been poorly modded as was not working very well. He decided to take the amp and mod it himself into the amp that would work best for the band's sound.

 

He cascaded the bright and normal channels, making it a single channel amp, with a circuit very close to the JMP MkII amp. This included adding a master volume. The output transformer (OT) was not performing well, and was on the small side for a 50 watt amp. He replaced it with a larger OT. The amp was a bit bright, so he nudged the tone stack component values a bit, and he removed the two high-shelf circuits in the preamp.

He changed some resistor values to add more gain, adding the second gain knob, which adjusts the volume between the second and the third gain stages. This allows the preamp's distortion voicing to be varied by adjusting where the most distortion is being generated in the preamp. Any time he discovered a clever or particularly good sounding bit of circuit, Ben would try it out in his personal amp to see if it pushed it into a more pleasing direction.B Adrian realized that he needed those high shelf circuits for darker pickups. He added presence and depth controls.

 

Since the amp model is unique and slightly complicated, give a rundown of the amp parameters.

 

Drive 1, Drive 2

 

Drive 1 is the traditional gain knob in a high gain, master volume amp. This is located between the first tube gain stage and the second tube gain stage. Drive 2 controls the amount of gain between the second tube gain stage and the third tube gain stage. The character of the amp can change drastically based on where these knobs are in relation to one another.

 

Drive 2 at max is the default position for high gain tones. then Drive 1 is the traditional gain knob. Of course, watch out for the Master knob being too high or things can get mushy.

 

If Drive 1 is set low (say about 3) and the Master is set high, then the amp will get a plexi normal channel vibe with Drive 2 acting as the gain knob.

 

With Drive 2 set low (2-3), and the Master volume at full, the amp can get big and clean, with Drive 1 bringing in just a bit of grit as it is turned up.

 

There are lots of textures available. Please experiment with the interactivity between Drive 1, Drive 2, and the Master volume.

 

Bass, Middle, Treble

These behave line a regular amp tone stack; located between the preamp and the power amp. Of course the values are slightly different than the big name amps. Use your ears and turn until it sounds good.

Channel Volume

Like on every other amp in Helix, this is a volume control at the end of the model used to adjust the overall level of the preset without changing the tone or distortion amount.

 

Master

This knob behaves like the Master Volume on the actual amp. It's located after the preamp, but before the power amp. When it's turned up high it will cause power amp distortion and saturation. At lower levels it will add less of its non-linearity and the tone and distortion of the preamp will come through more clearly.

 

Presence, Depth

These are similar to other amp models that have these controls. Presence and Depth are treble and bass boosts respectively. They occur after the preamp but before the power amp. They can affect overall tone of the amp model, or help define the character of the power amp clipping. They can also be said to affect the damping in the power amp.

 

Bright 1, Bright 2

The Cartographer amp has two bright switches. Both of these switches are high shelf boosts. Bright 1 adds a high boost after the first tube preamp stage. Bright 2 adds a high boost after the second tube preamp stage. They can be subtle, especially at higher gain setting. The usually affect the character and the harmonics of the preamp gain rather than provide a distinctive level boost in the high frequencies. Try turning them on for darker guitars. try experimenting by turning on each one individually and then both at the same time to discover how each one modifies the sound.

 

Sag, Hum, Ripple, Bias, Bias eXcursion

These behave the same as on other amp models.

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-Agua 51, based on* the Aguilar DB751 bass amp

Real: Gain; Treble; Mid; Bass; Master

The DB 751 features an improved preamp that combines the legendary tube driven tone of the DB 750 with greater EQ control. A perfect combination of raw power and excellent tone, the DB 751 continues the legacy set by the world famous DB 750. Delivering 975 Watts at 2 ohms and 750 Watts at 4 ohms this amp has the headroom you need to play any size venue.

 

Self-Diagnostic Protection Circuit and Thermal Overload Protection Circuit (both with LED indicators)

Power Output: 975 watts @ 2 ohms, 750 watts @ 4 ohms, 400 watts @ 8 ohms

Preamp Section: Three 12AX7s

Power Section: 12 complimentary lateral MOSFETs

Transformer: Custom Aguilar toroidal power transformer

EQ Section: passive tone stack with active midrange element, bass: +12 / -12 @ 40Hz; midrange: +12 / -12 @ 750Hz; treb: +12 / -7 @ 4kHz

Deep Switch: Adds 5 dB of broadband boost at 30 Hz

Bright Switch: Adds 5 dB of broadband boost at 5-7 kHz

 

Inputs: One 1/4" input jack with an active/passive switch

 

Made in NYC with some of the best components you can possibly put into an amp. They are super solid and can take being moved around and bumped they are made for gigging. They have massive headroom and sound somewhere in between a tube and solid state head. They sound great with different basses different cabs they are versatile.

 

New Effects (7)

• Distortion Kinky Boost(Mono, Stereo), based on* theXotic EP Booster
• Distortion Thrifter Fuzz (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original

Info from Sam:

The Thrifter Fuzz came from my love of the fuzz circuit inside the Acoustic 360 preamp. It has a similar topology to a fuzzrite, with a different voicing for bass. The gating effect of the fuzz and character was fun, but it was a really hard fuzz to get more than just a few good sounds from. I took the things I liked about the circuit and tweaked it until I was happy with it. This... took a while since it was such a simple but interactive circuit to match for the behaviors I liked. Then I dialed and voiced such that it would work well for both guitar and bass tones, and a bit easier to work with. We added a psuedo-active notch filter to give more control to the voicing of the distortion characteristics, a Drive knob before the first distortion section, and a Thick switch to bring back some of the lows which were filtered out in the original circuit. The Attack knob is a balance between the first distortion stage and the second fixed gain stage, and is very interactive with the Drive knob.

• Dynamics Kinky Comp (Mono, Stereo), based on* theXotic SP Compressor
• Modulation Bleat Chop Trem(Mono, Stereo), based on* the Lightfoot Labs© Goatkeeper
• • 
• Modulation Double Take (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original double

Info from Sam (SHwang_Guitars):

 

I wanted to give a bit of an in-depth rundown specifically for the Double Take double tracker.

 

The Double Take is a new double tracking effect made specifically for the Helix. Having spent a lot of time listening to a plethora of double tracked instruments, we found that the way a part is performed has a huge effect on how the layered tracks would feel. With this in mind, we wanted to make a new double track effect that responds dynamically with the way the player performs, adding the real-world dimension and depth you would get from having multiple recordings of a single part. This led to a whole new design from the ground up, with a lot of tuning available for the amount and types of variation between the doubled voices. This makes for the ability to have an incredibly realistic sounding and feeling double tracker with the ability to shape the feel at your finger(and foot-)tips.

 

Doubles

The main "Doubles" knob controls the number of double tracks into the mix from one to four generated voices, and in the stereo versions, the dry signal is assigned to a specified pan location. (Dry signal is underlined)

1 = Left and Right

2 = Left, Center, Right

3 = Left, Left, Right, Right

4 = Left, Left, Center, Right, Right

Note: as each extra voice is added, there is a post-effect level compensation such that the overall dB of the remains about uniform. You can make up this change with the two output knobs if you want the same level hitting whatever you send the doubled tracks in to. Also since these are hard pans, you an also use the "stereo width" block to control how wide this effect is in the stereo field.

 

Slop

The Slop knob controls the amount of the slight variations in timing and pitch you would hear from each of the doubled voices. The variations are what we like to call "Defined Randomness" as this amount and timing is directly coupled with the dynamics of the original part. This knob controls the heart of this effect, as it will define the voices from tight and refined at low settings and all the way to(too?) wild and dynamic at max. With this knob you can set such that a softer touch there isn't much change to the original performance, but the harder you dig in, the more the doubled voices' strings stretch, slap around, and become widely de-correlated.

 

Sensitivity

This knob controls the sensitivity of the slop feature. The lower this parameter is set there will be less dynamic behavior from the voices. This can be viewed more or less like a threshold or input gain of a compressor, but specifically for the slop's detection algorithm.

 

Source (Stereo only)

The Double take can have a true stereo path. This parameter determines how the input signal is processed by the effect.

Mono: Input will be summed to mono then processed by the Double Take

True Stereo: Each side will be sent as a true stereo path, and each extra voice will be sent to the side of the source pan.

Left Only: Only the left input will be sent into the Double Take

Right Only: Only the right input will be sent into the Double Take

 

Dry and Wet Levels

Instead of a This controls the level of the original dry signal as it passes through the effect. Note the Dry Level Location above.

Note: In "True Stereo" mode, the dry signal for the right will only be used for the doubles and will not pass through the effect. In "Right Only" mode, the Right channel will be sent to the left or center according to the Doubles parameter.

 

Personally, I like to put it either after my amp and cab if I'm using the stereo version, or in mono right in front of the rig just after my guitar...

 

• Delay Cosmos Echo(Mono, Stereo), based on* the Roland RE-201 Space Echo

Real: Repeat Rate; Intensity; Echo Volume; Mode Selector; Bass; Treble; Reerb Volume

Helix Controls: Time; Ramp; Feedback; Wow Flutr; Mix; Mode (Head 1, 2, 3, 1 3, 2 3, 1 2 3); Bass; Treble; FB Tone; Splice; Dry Thru; Spread

La máquina de la que hablamos es uno de los productos más queridos de Roland: Space Echo (en concreto el modelo RE-201).

Space Echo se ve por todas partes, pero su sonido es aún más icónico que su diseño.

Estos dos efectos básicos (echo y reverb) ofrecen a músicos y productores herramientas valiosas para crear ritmos, patrones, profundidad espacial, y efectos especiales. Desde su salida a principios de los 70, RE-201 unido a echo de cinta y reverb a muelles fue el producto favorito de músicos vanguardistas como Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, y Kraftwerk.

Volume/Pan Stereo Width (Stereo), Line 6 Original utility to collapse stereo paths

[FlyingsCool]

Thanks for all your hard work!

 

That said, you may want to include some of the background info from comment 1:

 

-Invented control starting point for neutral settings (setting to simulate the real stuff, without those invented parameters). But you can play with this values, it's up to you (no limits):

Presence for No Presence amps should be zero (all the way counterclockwise). Exception Jazz Rivet (P: 50%).

Eq bonus controls to noon (50%) for No Mid, No Bass, No Treble amps.

Master parameter for no master amps to 100%.

 

Note 1: Real amps with Volume means Gain in Helix. Volume in Helix is like a mixer to compensate final modeled output level (obviusly it doesn't exist in any of the real amps).

 

Note 2 : To attenuate "Crossover Distorsion", the best parameter in Helix is "Bias", increase it from 6 to 8 as general rule just in case you need to mitigate it.

 

Note 3: The default Line6 amp settings parametrs for Helix, when you open a modeled amp, are also a good starting point, normally they are close or exactly in concordance with this. Tip : double click in the parameter to come back to the default one.

 

Note 4: For Pre Amps models in Helx, some power amp related parametrs (i.e presence in general ; or cut tone with vox amp )are not present, but they modeled also Master and Sag with PreAmps.

 

All amps are modeled on the Input 1 (High). If you want simulate Input 2 (low), then use a gain block to take 6dB off the signal, and change the input impedance to something lower; somewhere between 68k and 150k.

 

In your comment "Note 1: Real amps with Volume means Gain in Helix. Volume in Helix is like a mixer to compensate final modeled output level (obviusly it doesn't exist in any of the real amps)."

 

Do you mean:

1. In "Real Amps" with Volume or Gain knobs, the knob is the same as "Drive" control in Helix amps?  I have not seen a "Gain" control on any of the Helix amp controls.  Is this knob typically a preamp volume knob or power amp volume knob in the real amps?  Where does the "Drive" control in Helix amps sit (preamp or power amp)?

 

and did you mean:

2. The Volume control in Helix amp controls does not affect tone of the amp.  It is basically another gain stage after the power amp to help balance amp volume between patches.?

 

Did I get this right, and can you please add a little more description?

[redmonda]

In your comment "Note 1: Real amps with Volume means Gain in Helix. Volume in Helix is like a mixer to compensate final modeled output level (obviusly it doesn't exist in any of the real amps)."

 

Do you mean:

1. In "Real Amps" with Volume or Gain knobs, the knob is the same as "Drive" control in Helix amps?  I have not seen a "Gain" control on any of the Helix amp controls.  Is this knob typically a preamp volume knob or power amp volume knob in the real amps?  Where does the "Drive" control in Helix amps sit (preamp or power amp)?

 

and did you mean:

2. The Volume control in Helix amp controls does not affect tone of the amp.  It is basically another gain stage after the power amp to help balance amp volume between patches.?

 

Did I get this right, and can you please add a little more description?

These are just the notes I copied from the 1st post in the thread. I'm unclear as well, though I believe the answer is 1. (i.e. the "drive" knob on helix is like the "volume" knob on a non-master-volume type amp).  My understanding is that typically drive is pre-amp gain and master is power-amp gain.

[FlyingsCool]

Ok, I did some research in THE THREAD, and came up with all this.....

 

Benadrian

The Master Volume, generally, is in between the pre-amp and the power amp. The phase inverter, for all practical purposes, operates as part of the power amp as a whole. This is because amps with negative feedback insert that signal into the phase inverter, so the phase inverter tube and the power tubes operate in a state of equilibrium.

Saying the master "Adjusts the amount of power amp distortion" is a bit clunky, yes. It might be more clear if it said something like, "the master volume reduces the signal level going into the power amp circuit. This matches the actual Master Volume of the modeled amps when those amps have a master volume control. If an amp does not have a master volume control, then it reduces the signal level between the preamp circuit and the power amp circuit. Setting it at 10 is no level reduction and matches the non-master volume amp in the real world."

So, in short, you turn an amp up loud and the preamp and the power amp will distort. If you want to quiet the amp down or reduce power amp distortion, you turn down the master volume control. The amp model should behave in the exact same way.

Sometimes I like to think of a master volume as a ratio control for preamp and power amp distortion. When an amp is turned up, everything distorts. When the master volume is at maximum, the power amp will distort when pused by the preamp, and this is the maximum power amp to preamp distortion ratio. as the master is reduced, the ratio will decrease. As very low levels of the master, the preamp can be distorting a whole lot, and the power amp to be clean. I don't know if this will make sense to everyone, but it's how my brain sometimes works.

Another good thing to remember, we matched the knob positions in the amp models. If anyone here has used a Deluxe Reverb you know that after about 4-5, the amp stops getting louder. Once the amp goes past 7-8 it can get pretty ugly. The model behaves the same. Once the drive passes 40% or so, it'll never be a clean amp. Cranking the drive will never give a tight distortion, it'll blow out the power amp. Some think this sounds awesome, some think it sounds ugly. That's totally subjective. But if you are using a model and you want more drive, think of how that model would sound when cranked. Sometimes it sounds a lot better to put a drive pedal in front of an amp than to push an amp to its limits

Oh, and one case where the master volume is different is the Hiwatt. That amp has an additional gain stage between the master volume and the phase inverter. The model matches this trait.

Wow, I just kept writing. Hope you all got through this. Cheers!

 

Phil_m

I think you meant to say "after about 4-5 the amp stops getting louder..." That is definitely true of my DRRI, and actually I think that after 3 or 3.5, it may stop getting louder. There's definitely not a ton of clean headroom there. I think it's kind ironic, in a way, because I think many people associated Fender amps with great clean tones, and yes, I do love the clean tone of my DRRI and my Princeton, but there is a relatively narrow range in which that they are truly clean. With humbuckers or any higher output guitar, it seems that it's almost impossible for me to get a true clean tone with either of those amps without lowering the guitar volume.

Also, I used to own a Vox AC15 - one of the newer ones, not a vintage one - and hearing a recording of what it sounded like mic’d was actually the thing that pushed me over the edge to get rid of it. I just felt it had a certain raspy quality when pushed that I didn't really like. I think the fact that so many people associate The Edge with the AC30, many people assume that Vox amps are clean. To me, that's kind of not their natural state, for lack of a better term. I think of them now more as raspy blues amp that can clean up under the right conditions.

 

Benadrian

Wow, what a bad typo. Phil_M is correct, and I corrected my original message.

I was talking about playing through the actual amp in my previous scenario. For amps that don't have a Master Volume control, the Drive control on page 1 represents that amp's volume knob.

Here's a list of all the models.

http://line6.com/data/6/0a06439cc0ef55b13d89a4aa8/application/pdf

The WhoWatt has a master volume IRL.

Then none of the models in the list have a Master until the 2204.

2204 on all have Master volumes IRL.

As for bass amps, all the Mesa models and the GK models have Master volumes IRL, the Ampeg's do not have them.

Cheers!

 

mbenigni

benadrian said: ↑

    Saying the master "Adjusts the amount of power amp distortion" is a bit clunky, yes. It might be more clear if it said something like, "the master volume reduces the signal level going into the power amp circuit. This matches the actual Master Volume of the modeled amps when those amps have a master volume control. If an amp does not have a master volume control, then it reduces the signal level between the preamp circuit and the power amp circuit. Setting it at 10 is no level reduction and matches the non-master volume amp in the real world."

I'm going to be a little pedantic here, just because I want to be 100% clear: the Master Volume reduces the signal level when it is turned down. It's not inverted like a Vox AC30 presence control or something.

benadrian said: ↑

    Sometimes I like to think of a master volume as a ratio control for preamp and power amp distortion. When an amp is turned up, everything distorts. When the master volume is at maximum, the power amp will distort when pused by the preamp, and this is the maximum power amp to preamp distortion ratio. as the master is reduced, the ratio will decrease. As very low levels of the master, the preamp can be distorting a whole lot, and the power amp to be clean. I don't know if this will make sense to everyone, but it's how my brain sometimes works.

And similarly, we're talking about a product of pre-amp and power amp distortion here rather than a ratio, no?

In any case, this is all great information and I appreciate getting it from the guy who would know better than anyone what's happening under the hood. I'm sure learning a lot this morning...

 

MKB

    Being an owner of an original 5F6A Bassman, it can be set to be one of the best crossover distortion generators you'll ever find. Power tubes can clip rather harshly, and the speakers are relied upon to filter out the harshness; the Jensen 10's are a bit bright sounding and they do not filter out the crunch as much as you might want.

    But the tweed Bassman has a sweet spot right before it starts crunching, where it sounds like the sweetest clean amp with a compressor, and when slightly distorted, it will sing very nicely. The earlier posted video of the real Bassman showed these tones early on. When the tweed Bassman starts crunching, it can get muddy and indistinct along with the crossover grunge.

    I haven't played a Helix yet, but the HD amps all sound to me like they were biased cold when modeled. Some of the HD models had so much crossover distortion they were unusable (the non-amp pack AC30's for example).

    The earlier clip of the Helix Bassman patch did not sound to me like a real Bassman, but I haven't heard any modelers that do. In fact the Kemper doesn't do it justice either, at least none of the profiles I've heard.

 

benadrian

hendrik7 said: ↑

That might apply to the other end of the spectrum but not when you're lowering the master volume. I'm talking bedroom level even. Take my Ac15 for example. If I turn up the gain on either channel and lower the master volume it never cleans up like it does on the Helix.

This is a special case. I'm not sure what AC15 you have, but the one we modeled was this circuit:
http://www.drtube.com/schematics/vox/ac15fact.gif

There was no master volume on the original circuit, and there is only one preamp stage before the signal hits the power amp. Normally, we put the master volume right before the power amp, but if we did this then we have the Drive knob and the Master Volume knob in pretty much the same place in the modeled amp circuit.
 

So, for the AC-15, the master volume is post-phase-inverter in the full amp model. This allos the user to use the Drive knob to hit just the Phase Inverter tubes harder. However, in this amp the power tubes can distort a LOT. When this is combined with the fact that the preamp doesn't distort a whole lot on its own, it can produce a situation where turning the preamp up and the master volume down will clean up the sound quite a bit. The preamp barely distorts and the power amp distorts a TON. This is the opposite of many amps where the preamp is designed to distort and, while the power amp can distort as well, most of the crunch comes from smashing the preamp.

Cheers!
Ben

 

mbenigni said: ↑

I'm going to be a little pedantic here, just because I want to be 100% clear: the Master Volume reduces the signal level when it is turned down. It's not inverted like a Vox AC30 presence control or something.

And similarly, we're talking about a product of pre-amp and power amp distortion here rather than a ratio, no?

Part 1: Correct, up (clockwise) is more signal level. Down (counter clockwise) is less signal level.

Part 2: I'm not sure I follow what you mean with your wording. If I'm understanding right, then you're correct, the Master is not a literal "ratio" control. It's a level control placed in between the preamp part of the modeling and the power amp part of the modeling. The result (or product) is changes in power amp distortion (if the preamp is set loud enough to make power amp distortion happen).

Cheers!

 

LeicaBossNJ said: ↑

May I ask a very technical question... For amps that are cathode biased, what does the BIAS adjustment do?

I'm really trying to get my mind around the concept that there are adjustments on certain amp models that just don't seem physically possible, given the amps' architecture. For example, we have a Gain, Channel and Master Volume as well as bass, mid and treble on the NRML channel of a Deluxe Reverb. The real amp has only a master, bass and treble. I'm very used to the amp and how the controls interact and get get the hang of adjusting the HELIX model to behave like the "donor" amp.

 

I'll do my best to answer this while also playing it safe and not giving away anything that might get me a stern talking-to.

Bias on cathode biased amps.
Many people have an association that cathode biased = class A. This is usually not true. However, most cathode biased amps are running the tubes hotter than most fixed bias amps. The Bias control affects the balance of distortion between saturation and cutoff in the power tubes. Proportion changes depending on the idling state of a power tube; if it's idling hot, then there will be more saturation and less cutoff, and if it's cold there will be more cutoff and less saturation. The bias control affects where the idling state of the tube is "located"; if it's hot or cold.
Another way of putting it might be that we can virtually change the value of the cathode bias resistor in a cathode bias amp.

All these extra knobs.
If an amp has a small number of knobs, then we will invent the knobs in a way that makes the most sense to us.
First, let me say that the Channel Volume (ChVol) knob is ALWAYS a flat response, post amp model level control. This is like a fader on a console. It's in the amp model, but it's not tied to the tonality of the amp model. It's how I level different presets so that they play well together.

The Drive knob corresponds with the Drive or Gain knob on master volume amps. With amps that don't have a master volume, it corresponds with the Volume knob. So, on the Deluxe model that you reference, the Drive knob is the Volume control on the front panel.

The Master Volume knobs in Helix map to the Master volume knobs on amps with Master Volume controls. If the amp does not have a master volume control, then we add one similar to where an amp tech might add one to an amp if the amp was having one installed. In the case of the Deluxe, this is between the preamp and the power amp. This can be thought of as a passive volume reduction. Master @ 10 is like it's not in the circuit. As it is turned down, the level from the preamp into the power amp is reduced.

Tone controls. We try to make them fit the character of the amp. In the Deluxe Reverb, the tone controls are exactly like that or a twin reverb except the 10k linear midrange knob is replaced with a fixed 6.8k resistor. If you want to match the model to the actual amp, set the model between 6.1 and 6.8 (values drift in the real amps. My idea, though, was to make the midrange knob on the deluxe behave like the midrange knob on other black-face fender circuits that have a midrange control.

In other amps, tone controls gets invented on a per-amp basis. In the tweed champ, the bass and treble are after the amp modeling, but the midrange control is between the two preamp gain stages. The midrange knob can become a cool drive feature. In some amps, the invented controls come between the preamp and the power amp. In short, we tried to make it sound good, and we tried to respect what is happening in similar classic amp circuits.

Cheers!

 

Mogmog said: ↑

Anybody notice the Cali Rectifire Model has an odd behaviour with the Master Parameter? The default 30% Master value sound good, but as soon as you increase this value, you get less volume.

 

Checked this out. Found a master volume compensation* taper that I didn't like. I adjusted to make it more smooth. This should appear in some future update. Thanks for the heads up!

Cheers!
Ben

* You may be wondering what the heck is "master volume compensation"? We found that sometimes when turning down the Master Volume deep edit parameter, the amp model got TOO quiet. It's totally logical to think, "isn't that's what it's SUPPOSED to do?" Yep. However, one of the big reasons many of us have chosen amp modelers is to not be as loud as the actual amp. When a low master volume setting is combined with a not blazing loud amp model, it does have the psychoacoustic effect of having the amp sound weak and distant. So, on many amp models, we turn up a post-amp model volume level when master volume (which is between the preamp model and the power amp model) is very low. It's automatic level compensation, and it is HOPEFULLY invisible. In this case, it wasn't, but it was an easy fix and I happened to see the initial post. Thanks again!

 

Johnny Ninefingers

Steve Dallas said: ↑

Before I get to my actual answer, let me say that the gain structures in the Helix do not exactly match those in my real amps. The Helix's Marshall 2204 JCM800, for example, has about 4x the gain that my real early 80s example has--as if theirs has been modded. The Matchless DC-30 in the Helix also has more gain than mine, but also compresses much more quickly. I can play with the gain and master controls to get them very close, however.

The way it is supposed to work is:

• Channel volume does not affect tone or gain. It is there for overall level control.
• Master volume acts like the master on the real amp. On a real amp, it controls both overall loudness and power amp saturation. If the real amp does not have a master, it should be set to 10 in theory.
• Gain controls preamp gain and should act like the same on the real amp. If the amp does not have a master, it controls volume and gain.

What really happens is:

• Channel volume works as it should. Use it control overall level.
• Master controls how much power amp saturation takes places. With the master set low and the gain set high, you are hearing mostly preamp overdrive. With the master set high and the gain set low, you are hearing mostly power amp overdrive. The behavior of this control is not as predictable as it should be. It takes some experimentation with each amp to find its sweet spot. Instead of setting the master to 10 on a non-MV amp, try 6 or 8.
• Gain controls preamp gain. Depending on the master volume situation, it may have a large effect on the amount of overdrive that is heard as noted above.
• Because these are models in a box that do not cause your ears to bleed when you crank them up, they sound different than the real thing. Loudness changes how we perceive sound--even how much overdrive we think we hear. It is easy to want to crank an amp to its limits when it is safely inside a modeler, but in many cases, we would never do that in real life.

Pretty much. My completely original single channel Marshall JCM800 50wt head has about a quarter of the gain of the modelled version. But you don't notice it at the 'ringing and singing' volume because it's really bleeding loud and the guitar in your hand is alive. You can't quite do that with a box. But you don't need to. The box tames the requirements for huge volumes to get tones only half of which ever made it onto tape or disk: we cut so much top end off everything before it even came to mastering. Drummers used to complain that their cymbals weren't fizzy like that IRL. Bass drums sounding like they were a wet cardboard box being hit with a mallet wrapped in a wet blanket.

People forget. Then they mistake cause and effect.

The pre-amp, master and channel volume explanation in Helix was good and succinct too. There is another Guitar page where you can give people credit for wisdom. This reason for this extended compliment is because this site, wonderful in so many other ways, doesn't allow me that option.
 

[Tips hat and tugs forelock.]

[Presonid]

----------------------
Firmware 2.50 (Namm 2018 HX Effect pedal) February 2018:

Firmware 2.60 (July 2018) Clean Channels Lonestar and Friedman HBE

New Amps (2)

• Cali Texas Ch2, based on* the drive channel of the MESA/Boogie Lonestar
• 

Real: Drive;  Gain, Treble; Mid; Bass; Presence; Master; Switch: Normal-Thick-Thicker

Helix: Drive 1 (Drive); Drive 2 (Gain); Treble; Mid; Bass; Presence; Master; Switch : Normal-Thick-Thicker

 

"AMAZING CLEANS, CLASSIC BREAKUP AND HIGH GAIN TONES IN A SINGLE AMPLIFIER

Modeled the original Lone Star ("Classic"), not the Special edition.

The Lone Star is a two-channel amp. Channel 1 is similar to a blackface Fender. It's also capable of blues-like distortion. Channel 2 has two faces. It can be a clone of channel 1, with slightly more gain. Or extra gain stages can be added ("high-gain" Drive mode) by flipping a switch, in which case an additional gain control comes into play. A Voicing switch (Normal / Thick / Thicker) lets you finetune the Drive mode.

channel 2's Drive mode.
The current version of the Lone Star amp is driven by 6L6 (modeled) or EL34 tubes, and lets the player choose between 10 watts (Class A), 50 or 100 watts (Class A/B) power, per channel. And just like with the Rectifier, the player can also choose between Tube and Diode Rectifier . The amp has a single input. The Lone Star has a built-in Variac ("Tweed" setting) and Reverb.

Each channel has Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence and Master controls. There's a separate Drive control for channel 2's Drive mode.

For the Cali Texas Ch2 is based on the classic model set at 50w (Class AB) with 6L6 tubes. You'll be able to choose the tone stack voicing within the model just like on the amp. We modeled the amp with the reverb bypassed as we usually do with amps with built in reverb. The amp was set to tube rectification as you can get the SS behavior with the sag param turned down. The bias param down can also be used to get the feel of the tweed power mode.

The channel two on the Lonestar is pretty much like an alternate clean (and bit beefier) when set to clean, but when set to drive introduces the drive control with its associated tube states.

The drive and gain knobs are named Drive 1 and Drive 2 respectively and will have the added gain stage always on (Drive Mode). We had thought about adding the behavior of setting the channel to clean, but when Ch2 is set to clean and in normal mode, it is essentially the same as Ch1.

Line6 really think about doing the amps as much justice as possible, but also want to keep every part of every model as "Helix-esqe" in every element of the experience.

Cab Celestion Black Shadow C90 Speaker (Like a much smoother Greenback but with more bottom end or a Classic Lead 80 with a more robust lower midrange, it is It is dark and compressed).

Tips:

Clean channel, a great place to start is straight up  12 o'clock on the EQ settings, with the exception of the bass. The bass on both of the Lone Star channels is pretty awesome so you don't need as much on the knob as you would on a lot of other amps. On the clean channels, I usually have the bass at just a little less than noon.

Dirty channel,  with Drive engaged and both Drive and Gain set somewhere close to 2 or 3 o'clock (or Drive slighty less than Gain)  then season to taste with Presence (noon max), Treble and Middle (around 1 pm). The Bass control needs to be set very low when the Drive and Gain are set that high.

The Lone Star also has a nice amount of gain, but not TOO much where it gets buzzy like a lot of amps do with the gain set high. It also takes pedals really well so sometimes I'll hit the front end with a gain pedal.

Info from Lonestar manual:

-DRIVE: This is the pre-drive control for the high gain preamp in Channel 2. It may be switched out of the circuit, along with its associated tube stages, to create a slightly higher gain clone of Channel 1 in (this bottom) Channel 2. When the DRIVE_control is activated (switch left, towards DRIVE), this control operates in conjunction with the GAIN control to meter the amount of preamp drive that will be introduced into the circuit.
Generally speaking, you will find better response and dynamics combined with smoother saturation by setting the GAIN control higher than DRIVE. In fact you might try leaving the GAIN set to 2:00 (70%) or 3:00 (80%) and just playing with the DRIVE to learn the regions of saturation. You will probably find the more blues oriented sounds between 9:00 (20%) and 11:00 (40%), while the really saturated high gain sounds appear between 1:00 (60%) and 3:00 (80%). Setting the GAIN control slightly higher than the DRIVE will produce a warmer quality to the sound and in most cases this is preferable. By all means experiment with setting the GAIN lower than the DRIVE, as the brighter, thinner character may be desirable for your application.
Learning the relationship between these two controls is probably the most important element to finding your signature lead sound.
They are extremely powerful, as they control how your guitar feeds the preamp and also determine the signal strength that is pumped through the tone control string. This in turn affects how the tone controls will respond. At extremely high settings you will be hearing mostly gain saturation as the tone controls become recessive due to over-saturation.
This is fine if complete saturation is the desired effect, but remember, many of the best sounds are found with more moderate settings where the gain controls interact with the tone control string to produce a balance of frequencies.  DRIVE the overdrive circuitry is active and additional tube stages are added in front of the normal rhythm circuitry to produce a multi-stage high gain lead channel.

THICK_/_NORMAL_/_THICKER:
    This 3 position mini toggle allows you to select between three different voicings. It selects what frequency the Treble control will enhance. By lowering the frequency of the treble capacitor, additional gain in these frequencies is added. This allows you to shape the sound for either sparkling clean sounds, or fatten up the Treble region and thicken the sound for more voice like single note solo sounds. Spend some time experimenting with this switch as it can be crucial to attain the lead sound you are searching for as well as allowing you to cop the vibe of several classic amp styles.
NORMAL
 is the best choice for clean chording and traditional blues style single note solo sounds. In this position the highest frequencies are passed through with the best balance between the
three tone controls gain wise. In other words the gain of the Treble region is in line with that of the Bass and Mid. Here the most sparkle and shimmer will appear and a beautiful blend will be easy to achieve for all your clean work. The NORMAL selection will also let the true character of your individual guitar shine through more than the gain enhanced character of the other two choices. When searching for identifiable signature sounds, NORMAL would be the best choice for traditional black face style clean or clipped sounds due to this lack of alteration of the classic treble frequencies.
THICK
 lowers the frequency of the Treble region while keeping the gain closer to that of the NORMAL setting. This selection fattens the upper region and smears the line between Mid and Treble to achieve a more robust, throatier sound. THICK is the best choice when searching for classic style response for either chording or overdriven sounds. You might think of it as a plexi switch.
THICKER
 lowers the Treble frequency even further and adds considerable gain in that region. It can enhance high gain solo work by saturating the sound and covering up fret buzz, weak pickups or other nuances that will appear as holes in a high gain lead sound. It allows you to retain focus at extreme gain settings while at the same time reducing the dreaded buzziness that can appear with certain guitars or speaker choices. This setting has appeared in various clothing on virtually all MESA amplifiers through the years and is classic Boogie.
THICKER is the choice for the trademark singing sustain that has long been associated with our amplifiers.

-GAIN:
   This control adjusts the predominant gain stage in each channel's circuit with the function and taper being optimized for each individual channel. The most powerful control in the preamp. It shapes the overall style and character of the sound and is responsible for whether the sound is clean, overdriven or anywhere in between. It not only determines the amount of drive, but also acts as an integral part of the tone control string as well.
To simplify the GAIN controls' role in shaping the overall tone of the sound we will look at it in two ways - 1)_alone and 2) in conjunction with the tone controls.

1)_By_itself_the_GAIN_control_has_basically_three_tonal_regions:
Gain Low [7:00 am (0) - 11:00 am (40%)] provides the cleanest, least saturated sounds and in this region the sound will be brighter and contain more upper harmonics lending a three dimensional character to the sound.

Middle  [ 11:15 (40%) -  2:00 (70%) ]  enhances the saturation and replaces some of the upper harmonics with a richer, warmer quality and a fuller bottom end response. Not yet fully saturated, this region is the easiest place to get a great sound in both channels. This region contains many of the LONE_STAR's_best sounds...especially for soloing due to the crucial blend of an expressive attack combined with ample sustain.

High [ 2:15 (70%) -  5:00 (100%) ]  saturates the signal and enhances low and low mid frequencies. While this region provides the maximum saturation and therefor sustain, it also compresses and softens the attack characteristics. For this reason we suggest using this higher region of the GAIN control sparingly and only when maximum sustain is needed.

 The LONE_STAR was designed to provide amazing gain and tone at less than extreme settings removing the need for you to crank everything all the way up. If you are not able to achieve the sound you want at sensible settings on any or all of the controls, your problem may lie elsewhere in the signal chain, i.e. pick-ups, cabinetry, processing etc.

2.) GAIN In_ conjunction_with_the_Tone_Controls:
-
 Basically, a simple rule applies...as the Gain is increased the Tone control string has less and less effect on the signal until at 5:00 the signal is so saturated that you are getting mostly Gain and very little Tone. Again, This is the reason we suggest using the GAIN control in its  middle region. Here the Tone control string is very active and provides maximum shaping power - allowing you to dial virtually any sound you desire.

TREBLE:As in most tube guitar amplifiers, the  TREBLE control is the most powerful of the rotary controls and is next in line only to the GAIN control as a shaping tool. Because it is first in the signal path of the tone controls - and from here the Middle and Bass receive their signal - it is by far the dominant tone control. For this reason is very important for equal representation of the three frequency regions to appear at their respective controls.

There is an optimum region of the TREBLE control [ 11:00 (40%) - 1:30 (65%) ] where ample top end is mixed in and yet enough signal is still passed on to the MIDDLE and BASS controls.
As you might surmise, here is the sweet spot .There are definitely great sounds above and below this middle region ( 11:00 - 1:30 ), but the balance between the TREBLE_control and the other two tone controls is compromised.  
The TREBLE control can be used to dump extra gain into the mix. This is especially effective in CHANNEL 1 and Channel 2 with the DRIVE  bypassed. When doing so, use the PRESENCE control to roll off some of the more than ample top end for a more compressed feel and fatter voice. As you might surmise, the BASS control's effectiveness will be reduced, so you may have to run a much higher setting than you are used to seeing to achieve a balance.

MID: The MID_control is responsible for the blend of midrange frequencies in the mix and though its effect is not as dramatic as that of the TREBLE control, it plays an integral part in achieving any sound It is capable of changing the feel dramatically as it blends in a group of frequencies that tend to soften or stiffen the way a sound feels to play.
Most players tend to lean in the direction of lower MID control settings [ 7:00 am (0) - 11:00 am (40%) ] where a scoop in this region produces girth ( by letting the Bass become a little more dominant ) and a lack of punch lends a more compressed, even feel to the strings and therefore less apparent resistance to the pick.
 As the MID control is increased, ( 11:30 am  (45%) - 1:30 pm (65%) ) the sound is rounded-out and filled-in with a focused mid attack appearing rather quickly. As you would guess, the feel starts to change - becoming more resistant.
Above this region the MID_control could be used to compensate for either weaker pick-ups or for times when a specific deficiency is produced by either an extremely high setting of other tone controls, or a physical anomaly in the room. While these MID control settings [ 2:00 pm (70%) - 5:00 pm (100%) ] can introduce added gain and create enhanced focus, the trade-off will be a stiffer, more forward, less compressed feel.

BASS: Determines the amount of low frequencies present in a sound. However, the style of lows it mixes in changes from channel to channel. Like the MID control, it falls in line signal-wise
after the TREBLE control and the same scheme applies. When the TREBLE control is set high, the effectiveness of the BASS and MID controls is reduced. If the TREBLE control is set low these two controls become dominant.
For the most balanced sound and a balance of power between the three rotary tone controls, try to use the TREBLE control in its middle ranges. This scenario produces nearly equal representation of all the frequencies on the tone controls and provides a great neutral starting point for further tweaking.

 A good rule to follow is this; as you increase the GAIN reduce the BASS. Following this scheme will retain balance and keep the attack of the notes dynamic, tight and touch sensitive.

- PRESENCE: The PRESENCE control is a high frequency attentuator that is placed at the end of each channels pre-amp stage and affects frequencies higher than those of the TREBLE control. It acts independently of the other rotary tone controls and is crucial in voicing the Channel. It is a powerful global tone control. Lower PRESENCE control settings darken and, in fact compress the signal which works well to fatten single note solo sounds, giving them girth and focus. Some of the best lead sounds in your LONE_STAR will find the PRESENCE control in it's lower regions, where a balanced, vocal response is achieved.

- MASTER:   This control is the master feed from the end of the pre-amp to the driver stage and the Effects Loop. As you can see each Channel is fitted with its own MASTER control, enabling both channels relative volumes to be matched regardless of their extremely different sound styles and gain signatures. The MASTER  control makes possible a wide range of sounds through its ability to use very low Gain sounds at high volumes and conversely, high Gain sounds at low volumes and everywhere between.  
Again, we suggest using the MASTER  control in its sensible ranges [ 9:00 am (20%) - 2:00 pm (70%) ].

NOTE:
 The RECTIFIER SWITCH (Rear Panel) has a built in RECTIFIER TRACKING feature that ensures proper matching for each power setting. In 50W, either a TUBE RECTIFIER or a silicon DIODE may be chosen as the rectification element with the Tube offering the most giveand elasticity.

 

Example: Drive 5 o 6; Gain: 7 o 8; Treble: 6; Mid: 5; Bass: 2; Presence: 3; Master: 4 o 3

• Placater Dirty, based on* the BE/HBE channel of theFriedman BE-100

 

• Based on: amp by Dave Friedman of Rack Systems, what many call the ultimate modded Plexi. HBE: alternate voicing with a gain boost (preamp triode boost). A killer hi-gain tone in your arsenal. Single input, EL34 tubes, 100 watts. 12AX7 Preamp Tubes
• Speaker V30, G12M, G12H, Marshall.
• Original controls: Gain, Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence. Switches: FAT (model: FAT), C45 (treble boost), SAT (model: SAT), Voice.
• The Friedman BE100 is a hand-wired, 100-watt, EL34 powered, multi-channel British-style amp. By merely adjusting the gain and master volume controls, the BE100 can produce a variety of tones, seamlessly transitioning from blues to classic rock or hard rock to metal. To say it is British-styled is just the start of describing this inspiring tone machine.
  
  The BE100 is a critically acclaimed amplifier created for the many musicians who have longed for the Friedman sound in a 100-watt format, as seen on the stages of superstars like Alice in Chains, Pink, Bon Jovi, The Cult, and Foo Fighters.
  
  Plug into to the BE100 and you will instantly notice the huge, tight low-end and rich harmonically detailed chords at any volume, made possible by Friedman's superior Master Volume control.
  Single notes take on that Holy Grail singing quality all guitarists strive to attain but rarely can through most amps. The BE100 cleans up remarkably well with the guitar's volume control, even with the amp on higher gain settings. For a more dramatic clean sound, switch over to the clean channel and dial in the bass, treble and three-way bright switch tone shaping controls.
  
  All 3 modes (BE, HBE, CLEAN) can be accessed from the amp's front panel or from the included 2-button footswitch. The BE100 was designed to take pedals and loves boosts, OD's, phasers, flangers, tremolos and wahs, while the brand new ultra-transparent series effects loop handles your time-based effects pedals and rack units.
• The Friedman BE was originally named "Marsha". It's MUCH darker (bassy with lots of lowpass filtering) than newer Mark Day's BE100 BE/HBE (brighter and tighter.).
• "The BE/HBE has a fixed depth circuit that gives a lot of bass boost.
• "If you want more clarity in the low mids from the BE/HBE reduce Negative Feedback. Friedman's designs are a bit odd in that he takes the feedback off the speaker jack rather than off a transformer tap. The mating cab for a BE/HBE is 16 ohms which means lots of feedback. But if you connect the amp to an 8 ohm load there is about 30% less feedback. The amp will sound tighter and clearer in the low mids.
• "C45 is a treble boost on the input. Put a filter block before the amp as follows: Type: Tilt EQ. Freq: 700 Hz. Gain: 4.5 dB."
  
  The model in Helix is one of the newer ones (Mark) with some revisions on the feedback circuitry and many or all the switches are also built into the model.

 

By gtr37:  The BE channel It's not really higain amp, It's about 3 gain stages, that's why it behaves well with volume roll off on your guitars. 

Satuartion is adding a clipping circuit into the channel, adds distortion and a more aggressive character and attack to the tone.
Some people like it some do not. it also is not great in the higher HBE mode as it add too much hair. 

HBE is basically the BE with and added tube gain stage, so 4 stages. More sustain midrange bump and more gain. It's smoother .

 

C45 is like a bright cap in a Marshall it makes the first stage brightergain amp 

 

Info from the Friedman HBE manual:

 

We recommend starting the amp on the BE channel with the Bass on 10, the Mids at around 6, the Treble at 5 and the Presence at 5.  Set the Gain around 8 and then bring the master up to taste.  After plugging in, you will notice instantly, the tight bottom end and rich harmonically detailed chords and single notes, that's the Friedman sound.  This amp cleans up remarkably well with the guitar's volume control even with the amp on higher gain settings. For even more gain switch to HBE mode.

 

FAT SWITCH:   Like it says, makes the BE100 sound fatter. Great for single coil pickups.

C45 SWITCH: This is a custom voicing switch for the BE/HBE channel. Turn it on, if you like leave it on. It's kinda cool.

SAT SWITCH:  Primarily designed to be used in the BE or C45 mode to add gain, compression and saturation. It is normal for the volume level to drop with this switch   engaged. Compensate with the amp's Master volume.

The first is the FAT switch, intended for thickening up the tone when playing with single coil or other lower output pickups. The C45 switch directly affects the gain, adding a little more push, and enhances highs and lows. The last toggle, SAT (as in Saturation), compresses the sound and adds a bit of increased gain and sustain.

 

PRESENCE CONTROL: Adjusts the upper mids and highs in the power amp section. Global on all channels. Start at about 4-5 and adjust to taste.

BASS CONTROL: This adds or takes away bass or bottom end. As the amp gets louder you may want to back this off a bit. Start at 7-10 for bedroom volumes. (In Helix 4-5 as start point could be better).

MIDDLE CONTROL :Adds or takes away midrange. Start at 5 or 6, lower settings will scoop the mids,higher levels will allow your audience to actually hear the guitar in the mix.

TREBLE CONTROL:This adds or takes away treble. Start at 5 and adjust to taste.

MASTER CONTROL: This is the BE/HBE Volume.

GAIN CONTROL: This adds gain/distortion. Adjust to taste. Don't be afraid.

VOICE SWITCH (Not modeled):This is a subtle yet effective tonal variance for the BE/HBE channel. Left position is slightly darker with more mids, right position is slightly brighter with a bigger bass

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New HX Effects (6)  Firmware 2.5

• Delay ; Multi Pass (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original bandpass-filtered multitap delay
• Reverb ; Glitz (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
• Reverb ; Ganymede (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
• Reverb ; Searchlights (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
• Reverb ; Plateaux (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
• Reverb ; Double Tank (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original

New Legacy Effects Models (77) - (41 not previously available in Helix)
https://line6.com/da... - English .pdf
https://line6.com/m1...elgallery02.pdf
Helix Floor, Rack/Control, and LT now include a library of effects from M13, M9, M5, DL4, DM4, FM4, and MM4. These appear in a new "Legacy" subcategory in the model list.

-Distortions Legacy Effects:

• Tube Drive = Valve Driver (helix) - Based on* the Chandler Tube Driver, delivering the sweet singing sustain craved by guitarists worldwide.
• Screamer - Based on* an Ibanez Tube Screamer. In many blues circles, you're not allowed to solo without one of these medium-gain pedals!
• Overdrive - Based on* the DOD Overdrive/Preamp 250 designed to slam the input of a tube guitar amp forcing the amp to distort violently.
• Classic Dist - Based on* the ProCo Rat, an angry and aggressive distortion box that put teeth into a new breed of metal in the late 70's.
• Heavy Dist - BOSS Metal Zone (not available in helix before) - Based on* Boss Metal Zone, the industry standard distortion pedal for metal players since 1989.
• Colordrive - Colorsound Overdriver(not available in helix before) - Our model will transport you instantly back to that breeding ground of British guitar heroes.
• Buzz Saw - Maestro Fuzz Tone (not available in helix before) - Take a deep breath and repeat: I can't get no (duh, duh, duh) Satisfaction.
• Facial Fuzz - Based on* the Arbiter Fuzz Face, best known for its famous association with guitar legends Jimi Hendrix ; Eric Johnson.
• Jumbo Fuzz -Vox Tone Bender (not available in helix before) - Based on* the Vox Tone Bender. It can be heard all over the first two Led Zeppelin records, and is especially apparent on Communication Breakdown.
• Fuzz Pi - Based on* the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi, this is an American twist on the distortion/fuzz pedal, known more for its wicked sustain than its buzz.
• Jet Fuzz -Roland Jet Phaser (not available in helix before) - Based on* the Roland Jet Phaser. It's a fuzz. It's a phaser. Yeah baby! Time to grab your 8-tracks of Uli Roth era Scorpions.
• Line 6 Distortion -Line6 Original (not available in helix before) - Completely over the top. Sure, it's massive. Yes, it's over the top. Okay, it's a lotta crazy!!!
• Sub Oct Fuzz - PAiA Roctave Divider (not available in helix before) - Inspired by* the PAiA Roctave Divider, this fuzz with an octave below is just what you need to give those Moog players a fit! Try it on bass guitar”this is the Octaver of Doom!
• Octave Fuzz - Based on* the Tycobrahe Octavia, the classic fuzz+octave effect. One pioneering user of this type of effect was Jimi Hendrix.
• L6 Driver -Colorsound Overdriver MODDED (not available in helix before) - Inspired by* the Colorsound Tone Bender. If we could go back to the 60's and be a part of the fuzz revolution... this is what we'd design.

- Dynamics Legacy effects:

• Tube Comp -Based on* the Teletronix LA-2A studio compressor. Considered one of the finest compressors in many circles.
• Red Comp - Based on* the MXR Dyna Comp, probably the most widely used stompbox compressor. Slide players such as Lowell George loved it.
• Blue Comp - BOSS CS-1 (not available in helix before) -Based on* the Boss CS-1 Compression Sustainer with the treble switch off.
• Blue Comp Treb -BOSS CS-1 Treble Switch ON (not available in helix before) -Based on* the Boss CS-1 Compression Sustainer with the treble switch on.
• Vetta Comp - L6 Original (not available in helix before) - Taken from Line 6's flagship guitar amplifier  Vetta II. With a fixed ratio of 2.35:1, adjustable threshold and up to 12dB of gain available at the Level knob.
• Vetta Juice -L6 Original (not available in helix before) - A Line 6 original also created for our flagship Vetta II guitar amplifier, the Juice in Vetta Juice comes from the 30dB of available gain in the Level knob.
• Boost Comp - MXR Micro Amp (not available in helix before) - Inspired by* a MXR Micro Amp. Our model delivers the same goose the input of the amp experience and serves up a little secret sauce on the side.

-Modulation Legacy Effects:

• Pattern Tremolo - (not available in helix before) - Inspired by* Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper. This effect is what you'd get if you could hook up a vintage keyboard sequencer to a tremolo.
• Panner -L6 Original= Vol Pan in Helix
•  Bias Tremolo - Based on* the 1960 Vox AC-15 Tremolo, which got its pulse by literally varying the bias of the power amp tubes.
• Opto Tremolo - Based on* the optical tremolo circuit that was used in the blackface Fender amps, like the 64 Deluxe Reverb.
• Script Phase - Based on* MXR Phase 90. Just like the original our model only features a Speed control.
• Panned Phaser -Ibanez Flying Pan (not available in helix before) - Based on* the Ibanez Flying Pan. It's a 4-stage phase shifter with a panner built in.
• Barberpole - L6 Original (not available in helix before) - A classic effect from the world of modular synths. This phaser either sounds like it's always going up or always down depending on how you set it. Set to stereo you get both!
• Dual Phaser -MuTron Bi Phase (not available in helix before) - Based on* the Mu-Tron Bi-Phase known for it's big jet sound.
• U-Vibe - Based on* the now-legendary Uni-Vibe, one listen to Machine Gun€ and you'll be hooked on this effect model!
• Phaser - Inspired by* the MXR Phase 90. Just add brown sound and you'll be Talking Bout Love. Our model features additional parameters to take you there and back again.
• Pitch Vibrato -Based on* the Boss VB-2. It contained a circuit that produced bubbly vibrato, but was popular for its rise time control that when engaged, sped up to where you last set it.
• Dimension - Roland Dimension D (not available in helix before) - Based on* the Roland Dimension D. One of the first true stereo chorus units. Relatively subtle in it's nature, it became an industry standard for double-track effects.
• Analog Chorus - Based on* the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, the original stompbox chorus with big, warm and groovy chorus tones.
• Tri Chorus - Based on* the Song Bird / DyTronics Tri-Stereo Chorus. You may have never seen one, but you've heard it hundreds of times.
• Analog Flanger - Inspired by* the classic MXR Flanger. You've heard it many times on Van Halen's Fair Warning, Women and Children First, and Unchained
• Jet Flanger - Inspired by* the A/DA Flanger with its signature jet-like sweep. Compared to the Analog Flanger, this model is more dramatic, with a different wave shape.
• AC Flanger - Based on* the classic MXR Flanger. This model features the knob functions you'd see on the original.
• 80A Flanger - Based on* the A/DA Flanger. True to the original, this model features same knob functions as the classic.
• Frequency Shift -L6 Original (not available in helix before) - A ring modulator gives you both up and down shifted frequencies. Here you can select just the up or down shifted frequencies.
• Ring Modulator - Ring modulators are for those special times when you want different, weird, strange and otherwise nontraditional guitar sounds.
• Rotary Drum - Based on* the Fender Vibratone. This rotating speaker effect was a popular hit with SRV. Think Cold Shot.
• Rotary Drm/Horn- Based on* the Leslie 145, the tube-driven rotating speaker cabinet. It was made for the B3 but guitarists fell in love with this shimmery effect.

-Delays Legacy Effects:

• Ping Pong - L6 Original -This effect has two separate channels of delay, with the output of each channel flowing into the other, going back and forth like a game of ping pong.
• Dynamic- L6 Original (not available in helix before) - Made popular by the T.C. Electronic 2290 Dynamic Digital Delay. While you play, the Dynamic Delay keeps the volume of the echoes turned down, so that the echoes don't overwhelm what you're doing.
• Stereo - L6 Original (not available in helix before) - Here's the secret to the Big L.A. Solo sound of the 80s. Set one side as a fast echo with many repeats, and the other as a slow delay with just a few repeats. Voilà, you're famous!
• Digital -This model is a straight up digital delay with bass and treble tone controls. Nothing fancy here, just transparent pristine echo-cho-cho-cho.
• Dig w/ Mod - L6 Original (not available in helix before ?) - Choose this model to add a chorus effect to your digital delays.
• Reverse - !seltaeB eht dna xirdneH imiJ ekil tsuJ Take a step back in time. Whatever you play in comes back out at you backwards, delayed by the time you set (up to 2 seconds).
• Lo Res - L6 Original (not available in helix before) - Early digital delay units generally had only 8 bit resolution. Low bit resolution can create a unique sort of grunge and noise.
• Tube Echo - Echoplex EP-1 (not available in helix before) - Based on* Maestro EP-1. Some say the holy grail of delay. Like ...tubes and tape is one great combination!
• Tape Echo - Based on* the Maestro EP-3 Echoplex. The EP-3 used transistors instead of tubes for the sound electronics.
• Sweep Echo - Take the tone of the Tube Echo and add a sweeping effect to the repeats to give you unique textures for adjusting the tone of your delays.
• Echo Platter -Blinson EchoRec (not available in helix before) - Based on* the Binson EchoRec. A staple for the likes of Pink Floyd. Rather than using tape, the EchoRec used a magnetic platter to record and play back.
• Analog Echo - Analog Delay. Treasured for it's warm, distorted delays only a bucket brigade delay can produce!
• Analog w/ Mod - Here's a model based on* the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, which is an analog delay with chorus.
• Auto-Volume Echo - This model gives you two effects in one. A volume fade-in swell used for a bowing effect. The other effect is an echo, complete with tape-style wow and flutter modulation.
• Multi-Head - Roland RE-101 Space Echo (not available in helix before) -Based on* the Roland RE-101 Space Echo. This model emulates the multiple playback heads of the original for that multi-tap delay effect.

- Pitch/Synth Legacy Effects:

• Bass Octaver -EBS OctaBas (not available in helix before) - This effect gives you a clean octave down signal. It is very popular in bass rigs but players such as Jeff Beck have been known to bust out this effect.
• Smart Harmony - Inspired by* the Eventide H3000. This is a diatonic harmonizer. As a second guitar player for dual guitar parts.
• Octi Synth - L6 Original (not available in helix before) - Inspired by eight armed denizens of the deep. Everyone knows that all you need is a bottleneck and a reverb tank to get whale sounds, but how about our friend the Octopus?
•  Synth O Matic - L6 Original (not available in helix before) - Inspired by a collection of vintage analog synths. This model features waveforms captured from a mouth watering collection of vintage synths.
• Attack Synth - korg X911 Guitar Synth (not available in helix before) - Based on* the Korg X911 Guitar Synth. Modeled after one of the waveforms in the X911, along with some of the wave shaping functions that are found on the original.
• Synth String -Roland GR700 Guitar Synth (not available in helix before) - Based on* the Roland GR700 Guitar Synth. Your Filter Modeler's Synth String model is based on one of the sounds of the GR700.
• Growler - L6 Original (not available in helix before) - R700 meets Mu-Tron III. Grrrrrrrrr!
• Voice Box - L6 Original (not available in helix before) - Inspired by* Vocoders, Vocal Tracts; Surgical Tubing. This model gives your guitar a sound that's typical of a classic talk box.
• V Tron - (not available in helix before) - Voice Box meets Mu-Tron III. In this model your guitar again speaks with an almost human voice, but now it does so in response to your playing.
• Q Filter - L6 Original (not available in helix before) - Your very own parked wah! You've heard it before from Mark Knopfler and from Brian May of Queen It's a wah parked in one position.
• Seeker - Z Vex Seek Wah (not available in helix before) - Inspired by* the Z-Vex Seek Wah. Imagine 8 parked wah filters set at varying positions and then sequenced through, creating a pulsating hypnotic vibe.
• Obi Wah - Oberheim voltage-controlled H filter (not available in helix before) - Based on* the Oberheim Voltage Controlled Sample and Hold filter. Voltage Controlled Filters create changes in tone by emphasizing random frequencies.
• Tron Up - Inspired by* the Mu-Tron III envelope follower. Part auto-wah, part triggered filter, it's all about wacky.
• Tron Down - Inspired by* the Mu-Tron III envelope follower. Part auto-wah, part triggered filter, it's all about wacky.
• Throbber - Electrix Filter Factory (not available in helix before) - It's perfect for cool Electronica sounds.
• Slow Filter - L6 Original (not available in helix before)[/color] - It's Swell! This triggered filter rolls off the high end of your tone, with adjustable speed. Your choice from dark to bright (the UP mode), or bright to dark (the DOWN mode).
• Spin Cycle - Craig Anderton's Wah/Anti-Wah (not available in helix before) - Inspired by Craig Anderton's Wah/Anti-Wah. This is what headphone mixes were made for! Imagine two wahs panned left and right working opposite directions from each other.
• Comet Trails - L6 Original (not available in helix before) - After several days spent crafting the code for our digital secret sauce, we found ourselves one afternoon surrounded by 10 empty cans of Dew, and sounds from another world.

- Reverb Legacy Models: 12 of Helix's 17 reverbs originally appeared in M-Class processors and Verbzilla. As such, they've been moved into the new Legacy subcategory within the Reverb category

- Plate: Based on a studio Plate reverb. Similar to the spring, in its metallic resonant quality. Plate reverbs consisted of a thin metal sheet suspended inside a box.
- Room: Simulates the acoustic properties of a classic echo chamber , which was a room used in early recording studios for reverb effects.
- Chamber: An elongated ambient space such as a hall, stairwell or elevator shaft creates this reverb type. Dreamy.
- Hall: Simulates the sound of a concert hall or large open space with a strong reverb tail. Imagine a gymnasium, performance hall, or cathedral.
- Echo: Just like it says ...echo...echo...echo. This is a lush echo with reverb.
- Tile: Emulates the acoustic reflections of a tiled room, such as a bathroom or shower, with clearer/brighter discreet early reflections.
- Cave: Surreal cavernous echo chamber. I'm just a simple caveman... Your world frightens and confuses me... what more can be said.
- Ducking: Built using a Hall' but with a ducking effect. The volume of your reverb is ducked (reduced) while you're playing, and increases when you stop.
- Octo: Creates a lush, ambient space with a harmonized decay whose harmonic denseness is controlled by the time knob. Use volume swells and prepare to float on cloud 9!
- 63 Spring: Based on a 1963 brown spring reverb head unit. Best known for great surf guitar tone!
- Spring: Based on a studio spring reverb. A spring reverb's characteristic resonant sound was created by springs suspended inside a metal box. Sweet!
- Particle Verb: A Line 6 original that turns your chords into a lush modulated pad in stable mode. Critical mode adds a slight rise in pitch. All stops are removed when in Hazard mode.

 

Impedance List (From POD HD manual; Helix impedance list is not available, but it should be similar):

Amps & Preamps      All Amp & Preamp Models      1M
Distortion FX
   Screamer (Tube Screamer)  230k
   Color Drive (Colorsound)  136k
   Buzz Saw     (Maestro Fuzz Tone) 230k
   Facial Fuzz   (Arbiter Fuzz Face)  22k
   Jumbo Fuzz  (Vox Tone Bender)  90k
   Fuzz Pi  (Big Muff PI)  22k
   Octave Fuzz   (Tycobrahe Octavia) 230k
   All Other Distortion Models   1M
All Dynamics Models    1M
Modulation FX
   Dual Phaser  (Mu-Tron Bi Phase)    230k
   U-Vibe    90k
   Analog Choruis   (Boss CE-1)  22k
   All Other Modulation Models   1M
Filter FX    All Filter Models   1M
Pitch FX   All Pitch Models  1M  

Delay FX
   Multi Head  (Roland RE 101) 22k
   Analog Echo   230k
   Analog w/Mod  90k
   All Other Delay Models   1M
Reverb FX   All Reverb Models   1M
Wah FX
   Weeper  90k
   All Other Wah Models    1M
 

Helix impedance list (from a Line 6 software engineer, posted on Facebook, but not official):

*every other effect not listed has a 1M input impedance as default

 

------------------------------------

Firmware 2.60 (July 2018) New effects:

 

Deranged Master is based on the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster. 

The need for a treble booster arose in the mid-1960s as British tube amplifiers such as the Vox AC30 or Marshall JTM45, tended to produce a slightly dark, muddy sound when overdriven, particularly when used with humbucking pickups. A pre-amplifier that also boosted treble proved a solution. Additionally the vintage components in the Rangemaster circuitry could add characteristic distortion and overtones to color the guitar sound, much in the way of the more modern overdrive pedals.

 

 

Deez One Vintage is a BOSS DS-1 distortion pedal model, while Deez One Mod gives you the Keeley mod version of the BOSS DS-1.

La distorsión por excelencia de Boss. Un pedal superventas de aquellos que cumplen perfectamente con su función.

 

The 1 Switch Looper is a new Line 6 original that doesn’t require you to leave Stomp mode. I like the sound of that, as it should make it a lot easier to set up a loop.

1 Switch Looper details:

Looper:

1. Add a Looper > 1 Switch Looper block to your preset and assign it to a stomp footswitch. (Adding a 1 Switch Looper to HX Effects from Stomp view automatically assigns it to the selected footswitch.)
2. Press the 1 Switch Looper switch. The LED lights red, indicating the loop is recording.
3. Press the 1 Switch Looper switch again.The LED lights green, indicating the loop is playing back.
4. Press the 1 Switch Looper switch again.The LED lights amber, indicating the loop is in overdub mode. Subsequent presses of the switch toggle between play and overdub mode.
5. While the 1 Switch Looper is in play or overdub mode, press and hold the switch for 1 second. The most recent recording is undone. Holding the switch again will redo the recording. On Helix, Helix Rack/Control, and HX Effects, “UNDO” or “REDO” briefly appears on the scribble strip. On Helix LT, “UNDO” or “REDO” briefly appears in Performance view.
6. Quickly double-press the 1 Switch Looper switch. Playback/recording stops and the LED lights white, indicating a loop is in memory.
7. While Looper playback/recording is stopped, press and hold the switch. The recording is deleted and the LED lights dim white.

 

[HonestOpinion]

Ok, I did some research in THE THREAD, and came up with all this.....

 

Benadrian

The Master Volume, generally, is in between the pre-amp and the power amp. The phase inverter, for all practical purposes, operates as part of the power amp as a whole. This is because amps with negative feedback insert that signal into the phase inverter, so the phase inverter tube and the power tubes operate in a state of equilibrium.

 

Saying the master "Adjusts the amount of power amp distortion" is a bit clunky, yes. It might be more clear if it said something like, "the master volume reduces the signal level going into the power amp circuit. This matches the actual Master Volume of the modeled amps when those amps have a master volume control. If an amp does not have a master volume control, then it reduces the signal level between the preamp circuit and the power amp circuit. Setting it at 10 is no level reduction and matches the non-master volume amp in the real world."

 

So, in short, you turn an amp up loud and the preamp and the power amp will distort. If you want to quiet the amp down or reduce power amp distortion, you turn down the master volume control. The amp model should behave in the exact same way.

 

Sometimes I like to think of a master volume as a ratio control for preamp and power amp distortion. When an amp is turned up, everything distorts. When the master volume is at maximum, the power amp will distort when pused by the preamp, and this is the maximum power amp to preamp distortion ratio. as the master is reduced, the ratio will decrease. As very low levels of the master, the preamp can be distorting a whole lot, and the power amp to be clean. I don't know if this will make sense to everyone, but it's how my brain sometimes works.

 

Another good thing to remember, we matched the knob positions in the amp models. If anyone here has used a Deluxe Reverb you know that after about 4-5, the amp stops getting louder. Once the amp goes past 7-8 it can get pretty ugly. The model behaves the same. Once the drive passes 40% or so, it'll never be a clean amp. Cranking the drive will never give a tight distortion, it'll blow out the power amp. Some think this sounds awesome, some think it sounds ugly. That's totally subjective. But if you are using a model and you want more drive, think of how that model would sound when cranked. Sometimes it sounds a lot better to put a drive pedal in front of an amp than to push an amp to its limits

 

Oh, and one case where the master volume is different is the Hiwatt. That amp has an additional gain stage between the master volume and the phase inverter. The model matches this trait.

 

Wow, I just kept writing. Hope you all got through this. Cheers!

 

Phil_m

I think you meant to say "after about 4-5 the amp stops getting louder..." That is definitely true of my DRRI, and actually I think that after 3 or 3.5, it may stop getting louder. There's definitely not a ton of clean headroom there. I think it's kind ironic, in a way, because I think many people associated Fender amps with great clean tones, and yes, I do love the clean tone of my DRRI and my Princeton, but there is a relatively narrow range in which that they are truly clean. With humbuckers or any higher output guitar, it seems that it's almost impossible for me to get a true clean tone with either of those amps without lowering the guitar volume.

Also, I used to own a Vox AC15 - one of the newer ones, not a vintage one - and hearing a recording of what it sounded like mic’d was actually the thing that pushed me over the edge to get rid of it. I just felt it had a certain raspy quality when pushed that I didn't really like. I think the fact that so many people associate The Edge with the AC30, many people assume that Vox amps are clean. To me, that's kind of not their natural state, for lack of a better term. I think of them now more as raspy blues amp that can clean up under the right conditions.

 

Benadrian

Wow, what a bad typo. Phil_M is correct, and I corrected my original message.

I was talking about playing through the actual amp in my previous scenario. For amps that don't have a Master Volume control, the Drive control on page 1 represents that amp's volume knob.

Here's a list of all the models.

http://line6.com/data/6/0a06439cc0ef55b13d89a4aa8/application/pdf

The WhoWatt has a master volume IRL.

Then none of the models in the list have a Master until the 2204.

2204 on all have Master volumes IRL.

As for bass amps, all the Mesa models and the GK models have Master volumes IRL, the Ampeg's do not have them.

Cheers!

 

mbenigni

benadrian said: ↑

    Saying the master "Adjusts the amount of power amp distortion" is a bit clunky, yes. It might be more clear if it said something like, "the master volume reduces the signal level going into the power amp circuit. This matches the actual Master Volume of the modeled amps when those amps have a master volume control. If an amp does not have a master volume control, then it reduces the signal level between the preamp circuit and the power amp circuit. Setting it at 10 is no level reduction and matches the non-master volume amp in the real world."

I'm going to be a little pedantic here, just because I want to be 100% clear: the Master Volume reduces the signal level when it is turned down. It's not inverted like a Vox AC30 presence control or something.

benadrian said: ↑

    Sometimes I like to think of a master volume as a ratio control for preamp and power amp distortion. When an amp is turned up, everything distorts. When the master volume is at maximum, the power amp will distort when pused by the preamp, and this is the maximum power amp to preamp distortion ratio. as the master is reduced, the ratio will decrease. As very low levels of the master, the preamp can be distorting a whole lot, and the power amp to be clean. I don't know if this will make sense to everyone, but it's how my brain sometimes works.

And similarly, we're talking about a product of pre-amp and power amp distortion here rather than a ratio, no?

In any case, this is all great information and I appreciate getting it from the guy who would know better than anyone what's happening under the hood. I'm sure learning a lot this morning...

 

MKB

    Being an owner of an original 5F6A Bassman, it can be set to be one of the best crossover distortion generators you'll ever find. Power tubes can clip rather harshly, and the speakers are relied upon to filter out the harshness; the Jensen 10's are a bit bright sounding and they do not filter out the crunch as much as you might want.

    But the tweed Bassman has a sweet spot right before it starts crunching, where it sounds like the sweetest clean amp with a compressor, and when slightly distorted, it will sing very nicely. The earlier posted video of the real Bassman showed these tones early on. When the tweed Bassman starts crunching, it can get muddy and indistinct along with the crossover grunge.

    I haven't played a Helix yet, but the HD amps all sound to me like they were biased cold when modeled. Some of the HD models had so much crossover distortion they were unusable (the non-amp pack AC30's for example).

    The earlier clip of the Helix Bassman patch did not sound to me like a real Bassman, but I haven't heard any modelers that do. In fact the Kemper doesn't do it justice either, at least none of the profiles I've heard.

 

benadrian

hendrik7 said: ↑

That might apply to the other end of the spectrum but not when you're lowering the master volume. I'm talking bedroom level even. Take my Ac15 for example. If I turn up the gain on either channel and lower the master volume it never cleans up like it does on the Helix.

This is a special case. I'm not sure what AC15 you have, but the one we modeled was this circuit:

http://www.drtube.com/schematics/vox/ac15fact.gif

 

There was no master volume on the original circuit, and there is only one preamp stage before the signal hits the power amp. Normally, we put the master volume right before the power amp, but if we did this then we have the Drive knob and the Master Volume knob in pretty much the same place in the modeled amp circuit.

 

So, for the AC-15, the master volume is post-phase-inverter in the full amp model. This allos the user to use the Drive knob to hit just the Phase Inverter tubes harder. However, in this amp the power tubes can distort a LOT. When this is combined with the fact that the preamp doesn't distort a whole lot on its own, it can produce a situation where turning the preamp up and the master volume down will clean up the sound quite a bit. The preamp barely distorts and the power amp distorts a TON. This is the opposite of many amps where the preamp is designed to distort and, while the power amp can distort as well, most of the crunch comes from smashing the preamp.

 

Cheers!

Ben

 

mbenigni said: ↑

I'm going to be a little pedantic here, just because I want to be 100% clear: the Master Volume reduces the signal level when it is turned down. It's not inverted like a Vox AC30 presence control or something.

 

And similarly, we're talking about a product of pre-amp and power amp distortion here rather than a ratio, no?

Part 1: Correct, up (clockwise) is more signal level. Down (counter clockwise) is less signal level.

 

Part 2: I'm not sure I follow what you mean with your wording. If I'm understanding right, then you're correct, the Master is not a literal "ratio" control. It's a level control placed in between the preamp part of the modeling and the power amp part of the modeling. The result (or product) is changes in power amp distortion (if the preamp is set loud enough to make power amp distortion happen).

 

Cheers!

 

LeicaBossNJ said: ↑

May I ask a very technical question... For amps that are cathode biased, what does the BIAS adjustment do?

 

I'm really trying to get my mind around the concept that there are adjustments on certain amp models that just don't seem physically possible, given the amps' architecture. For example, we have a Gain, Channel and Master Volume as well as bass, mid and treble on the NRML channel of a Deluxe Reverb. The real amp has only a master, bass and treble. I'm very used to the amp and how the controls interact and get get the hang of adjusting the HELIX model to behave like the "donor" amp.

 

I'll do my best to answer this while also playing it safe and not giving away anything that might get me a stern talking-to.

 

Bias on cathode biased amps.

Many people have an association that cathode biased = class A. This is usually not true. However, most cathode biased amps are running the tubes hotter than most fixed bias amps. The Bias control affects the balance of distortion between saturation and cutoff in the power tubes. Proportion changes depending on the idling state of a power tube; if it's idling hot, then there will be more saturation and less cutoff, and if it's cold there will be more cutoff and less saturation. The bias control affects where the idling state of the tube is "located"; if it's hot or cold.

Another way of putting it might be that we can virtually change the value of the cathode bias resistor in a cathode bias amp.

 

All these extra knobs.

If an amp has a small number of knobs, then we will invent the knobs in a way that makes the most sense to us.

First, let me say that the Channel Volume (ChVol) knob is ALWAYS a flat response, post amp model level control. This is like a fader on a console. It's in the amp model, but it's not tied to the tonality of the amp model. It's how I level different presets so that they play well together.

 

The Drive knob corresponds with the Drive or Gain knob on master volume amps. With amps that don't have a master volume, it corresponds with the Volume knob. So, on the Deluxe model that you reference, the Drive knob is the Volume control on the front panel.

 

The Master Volume knobs in Helix map to the Master volume knobs on amps with Master Volume controls. If the amp does not have a master volume control, then we add one similar to where an amp tech might add one to an amp if the amp was having one installed. In the case of the Deluxe, this is between the preamp and the power amp. This can be thought of as a passive volume reduction. Master @ 10 is like it's not in the circuit. As it is turned down, the level from the preamp into the power amp is reduced.

 

Tone controls. We try to make them fit the character of the amp. In the Deluxe Reverb, the tone controls are exactly like that or a twin reverb except the 10k linear midrange knob is replaced with a fixed 6.8k resistor. If you want to match the model to the actual amp, set the model between 6.1 and 6.8 (values drift in the real amps. My idea, though, was to make the midrange knob on the deluxe behave like the midrange knob on other black-face fender circuits that have a midrange control.

 

In other amps, tone controls gets invented on a per-amp basis. In the tweed champ, the bass and treble are after the amp modeling, but the midrange control is between the two preamp gain stages. The midrange knob can become a cool drive feature. In some amps, the invented controls come between the preamp and the power amp. In short, we tried to make it sound good, and we tried to respect what is happening in similar classic amp circuits.

 

Cheers!

 

Mogmog said: ↑

Anybody notice the Cali Rectifire Model has an odd behaviour with the Master Parameter? The default 30% Master value sound good, but as soon as you increase this value, you get less volume.

 

Checked this out. Found a master volume compensation* taper that I didn't like. I adjusted to make it more smooth. This should appear in some future update. Thanks for the heads up!

 

Cheers!

Ben

 

* You may be wondering what the heck is "master volume compensation"? We found that sometimes when turning down the Master Volume deep edit parameter, the amp model got TOO quiet. It's totally logical to think, "isn't that's what it's SUPPOSED to do?" Yep. However, one of the big reasons many of us have chosen amp modelers is to not be as loud as the actual amp. When a low master volume setting is combined with a not blazing loud amp model, it does have the psychoacoustic effect of having the amp sound weak and distant. So, on many amp models, we turn up a post-amp model volume level when master volume (which is between the preamp model and the power amp model) is very low. It's automatic level compensation, and it is HOPEFULLY invisible. In this case, it wasn't, but it was an easy fix and I happened to see the initial post. Thanks again!

 

Johnny Ninefingers

Steve Dallas said: ↑

Before I get to my actual answer, let me say that the gain structures in the Helix do not exactly match those in my real amps. The Helix's Marshall 2204 JCM800, for example, has about 4x the gain that my real early 80s example has--as if theirs has been modded. The Matchless DC-30 in the Helix also has more gain than mine, but also compresses much more quickly. I can play with the gain and master controls to get them very close, however.

 

The way it is supposed to work is:

• Channel volume does not affect tone or gain. It is there for overall level control.
• Master volume acts like the master on the real amp. On a real amp, it controls both overall loudness and power amp saturation. If the real amp does not have a master, it should be set to 10 in theory.
• Gain controls preamp gain and should act like the same on the real amp. If the amp does not have a master, it controls volume and gain.

What really happens is:

• Channel volume works as it should. Use it control overall level.
• Master controls how much power amp saturation takes places. With the master set low and the gain set high, you are hearing mostly preamp overdrive. With the master set high and the gain set low, you are hearing mostly power amp overdrive. The behavior of this control is not as predictable as it should be. It takes some experimentation with each amp to find its sweet spot. Instead of setting the master to 10 on a non-MV amp, try 6 or 8.
• Gain controls preamp gain. Depending on the master volume situation, it may have a large effect on the amount of overdrive that is heard as noted above.
• Because these are models in a box that do not cause your ears to bleed when you crank them up, they sound different than the real thing. Loudness changes how we perceive sound--even how much overdrive we think we hear. It is easy to want to crank an amp to its limits when it is safely inside a modeler, but in many cases, we would never do that in real life.

Pretty much. My completely original single channel Marshall JCM800 50wt head has about a quarter of the gain of the modelled version. But you don't notice it at the 'ringing and singing' volume because it's really bleeding loud and the guitar in your hand is alive. You can't quite do that with a box. But you don't need to. The box tames the requirements for huge volumes to get tones only half of which ever made it onto tape or disk: we cut so much top end off everything before it even came to mastering. Drummers used to complain that their cymbals weren't fizzy like that IRL. Bass drums sounding like they were a wet cardboard box being hit with a mallet wrapped in a wet blanket.

 

People forget. Then they mistake cause and effect.

 

The pre-amp, master and channel volume explanation in Helix was good and succinct too. There is another Guitar page where you can give people credit for wisdom. This reason for this extended compliment is because this site, wonderful in so many other ways, doesn't allow me that option.

 

[Tips hat and tugs forelock.]

 

Granted that with a standard amp control configuration the Drive/Preamp adds preamp level and usually distortion on higher settings and the Master volume adds power amp level. I understand Ben Adrian's description of how Master volume only amps have been modeled but I want to make sure my understanding of how the models of amps that originally had both a pre-amp and power amp volume control work on the Helix.  I have often found for amps with a master(power amp) and preamp volume control, turning the Master up all the way to 10 and then gradually turning the Drive/Preamp volume up can deliver the cleanest sound at the highest volume that the amp is capable of.

 

Particularly on higher wattage amps/cabs with plenty of headroom there may be no appreciable increase in grit or distortion as the Master is turned up all the way. Starting the Drive/Preamp volume at 0 with the Master at max and coming up slowly on the Drive/Preamp control delivers louder clean  tones than for example, backing off the Master from max and adding more Preamp/Drive volume. Of course when the preamp level gets above a certain point most amps tend to start demonstrating some distortion. I guess what I am saying is that on many amps I have played with both preamp and power amp controls turning up the power amp control does not necessarily add perceptible grit or distortion, just volume. How the Master volume control works I suppose depends on the specific amp and cab used but many I have tried work as I just described.

 

It sounds like Ben Adrian's implementation of the Master volume, depending on the amp modeled, may be a bit more nuanced than the way I traditionally expect a Drive/Preamp control to interact with the Master volume. I am referring to modeled tube amps that already have both pre-amp and power amp level controls. I understand that adding a pre-amp volume to a model of an amp that originally had only a Master volume may work a bit differently. I guess I am trying to establish if turning up the master volume to max will add more grit, even with a low Drive setting, on a model of an amp that originally had both a pre-amp and master volume? I don't expect more grit generally from turning the master up to 10 unless the original amp modeled only had a master volume control, was low wattage, or had a lower power handling speaker that distorted more easily.

[amsdenj]

Maybe this explaination will help. Gain controls distortion in the preamp section, Master controls distortion in the power amp section. Both control volume up to the point that clipping occurs, then distortion amount and character after that.

 

Say you start with Gain and Master very low. The amp will likely be clean and low volume. Now turn up Gain, leaving Master very low until you start to hear some distortion, then back off a little so that the amp still sounds clean. The only difference will be the amp is louder. Go back to low Gain and low Master and turn the master up until the amp starts to distort, then back off a little (likely you’ll get all the way to 10 without any distortion). Again, the amp will still be clean and only sound louder. That is, Gain and Master have pretty much the same effect as long as there’s no distortion - the amp remains clean and gets louder.

 

Now when we add some distortion into the picture, things get interesting and complicated. Start with low Gain and low Master again. Again, turn up the Gain until you hear some distortion and then back off until the amp remains clean. So far, the amp is just louder, but still clean. Let’s call this the baseline - the Gain is as high as you can get without introducing any preamp distortion. Note this point as it is the place where the amp is the most dynamic and on the edge of clipping.

 

Now start turning up the Master. At some point the amp will likely start distorting, and this will be power amp distortion. Power amp distortion is unique in many ways:

- In most cases (except Class A power amps), clipping will be symmetric and quite sharp, with a lot of 3rd order harmonics resulting from tube cutoff (not saturation). This will sound aggressive and a bit harsh.

- Sag will be maximized since the demand on the power supply is maximized

- Presence and Depth will decrease since there’s no gain left in the power amp for the negative feedback.

- Amp volume (ignoring channel volume and post amp effects) will be maximum - turning the Master up anymore will only result in more distortion - more harmonics being generated

 

Go back to the baseline - low Gain, low Master. Start turning up the Gain. At some point the amp will start distorting and this will be preamp distortion. Preamp distortion is typically quite different than power amp distortion:

- Distortion will be somewhat asymmetric with tubes reaching cutoff on one half of the signal, and saturation on the the other. This will have more even order harmonics as saturation is more gradual and less sharp than cutoff.

- There will be no sag effect

- Presence and Depth controls in the power amp negative feedback loop continue to work, and can be used to change the voicing of the preamp distortion, regardless of the position of the amp’s tone controls in the signal chain.

- The position of the amp’s tone controls in the signal chain will have a profound impact on the preamp distortion. If the tone controls are before the distortion stage, treble will have limited impact, but lowering bass will remove muddy distortion. If the tone controls are after distortion, the bass control won’t do much to clean up mud, but the treble control will have a lot of impact on the fizz/buzz of the harmonics created by the distortion.

 

If you now start turning up the Master with the Gain control already creating preamp distortion, the amp will get louder until the power amp starts distorting, then you’ll have a combination of preamp and power amp distortion.

 

The primary challenge with amp distortion, preamp and/or power amp, is control of the voicing. Its often desirable to have tone controls before and after distortion as they do different things. Bass cut before distortion and treble cut after distortion is typically needed to control mud and fizz/ice-pick. Some amps provide this based on where the tone controls are in the circuit - between the gain stages or just before the power amp phase inverter. Bass, mid and treble shift switches are often used to control voicing in the preamps. Presence and Depth control the distortion tone in the power amp, as long as its not clipping. But many amps don’t have these controls. Using overdrive pedals in front of a clean amp can provide more flexibility in that case because they usually provide additional tone controls in the clipping circuit to control overdrive voicing.

[zooey]

An EQ before the amp can do much the same.

[jaybee77]

Hello. thanks for this great post, so much detailed info has been an invaluable resource since i got the Helix.

And thanks for updating it for the upcoming FW2.5

 

I have just made a quick list of the Legacy FX, that at first glance dont seem to be already in Helix 2.3

http://line6.com/support/topic/31606-legacy-fx-that-are-not-already-in-helix-i-think-do-you-agree/

 

 

Just had a look at your post above and see we have some differences?

 

Wondering if i can share those differences with you and ask your reasoning.

I realise you know so much more about these FX so maybe you have valid reasons for why some are included

and others are not in the list of Legacy FX that have not been available before as an HX version.

 

thanks for your help with this... much appreciated

 

 

 

The following FX you marked as not being in Helix before, but they seem to have versions in firmware 2.3? –

maybe you have highlighted these because the legacy versions, in the effects unit they are originally from, offered some level of parameters the Helix versions don’t?

 

 

Distortion Models 
 

Octave fuzz - Tycobrahe® Octavia
 

Modulation Models
 
Tri chorus - Dytronics® Tri-Stereo Chorus
 

Delay Models

 

Ping pong - Line 6 Original
 

 

 

In my quick comparison i found that I thought the following FX weren’t already in helix 2.3,

but you haven’t higlighted them as being not available in Helix before. 

So wondering the reasoning, have I missed something?

 

 

Distortion Models

L6 Drive                  Colorsound® Overdriver (modded)

 

Dynamics Models  

 

Vetta Juice             Line 6 Original

 

Modulation Models

 

Pattern Trem           Line 6 Original
?? Panner                 Line 6 Original - is available in Helix Pan/Volume- ?

?? Analog Flanger / AC Flanger  -  MXR® Flanger  MXR® 117 Flanger ?
?? Jet Flanger / 80A Flanger  -  A/DA Flanger ?
Freq Shift               Line 6 Original
Ring Modulator      Line 6 Original
 

Delay Models

Stereo                    Line 6 Original
Lo Res                    Line 6 Original
Tube Echo              Maestro® Echoplex EP-1
Echo Platter           Binson® EchoRec®
Auto-Vol Echo        Line 6 Original

 

Pitch/Synth Models

 

?? Octi Synth           Line 6 Original  -  3 osc syn ?
Synth O Matic         Line 6 Original

 

Filter Models

Q Filter                    Line 6 Original
Throbber                 Electrix® Filter Factory
Slow Filter              Line 6 Original
Spin Cycle              Craig Anderton's Wah/Anti-Wah
Comet Trails           Line 6 Original

 

 

thanks for your help

Much appreciated

 

Looking forward to trying out all these new legacy effects.... i had never used LIne 6 products before getting theHelix, so these are all new to me as Line 6 versions.

[jaybee77]

p.s. just noticed L6 Drive is missing...

 

Distortion Models - L6 Drive - Colorsound® Overdriver (modded) - not previously available in Helix.

[jaybee77]

Thanks @riffyrafemetal

 

http://line6.com/support/topic/31606-legacy-fx-that-are-not-already-in-helix-i-think-do-you-agree/?p=242583

Just a Note:

 

There is a Chandler Tube driver in FW2.3 called Valve Driver, the legacy version in FW2.5 being Tube Drive.

 

And there is a HX Ping Pong delay in FW2.3 and a Legacy version in FW2.5

 

Also whilst the Adriatic Swell could be classed as being similar to the Auto Vol echo, People are saying they find them different.

 

The Legacy Modulation FX contains Analog Flanger and AC Flanger, both are based on the MXR 117 Flanger - 

There is an HX version called Gray Flanger in FW2.3 

https://line6.com/m1...elgallery02.pdf

 

Similarly the Legacy Modulation FX contains Jet Flanger and 80A Flanger - both are based on the A/DA Flanger -

There is an HX version called Harmonic Flanger

 

Lastly Helix has a Pan option in Volume/Pan Models, and there is a legacy Panner in FW2.5 which is an L6 Original

[Guitarmaniac64]

Read this on the big Helix thread on TGP

 

For the Cali Texas Ch2 is based on the classic model set at 50w with 6L6 tubes. You'll be able to choose the tone stack voicing within the model just like on the amp. We modeled the amp with the reverb bypassed as we usually do with amps with built in reverb. The amp was set to tube rectification as you can get the SS behavior with the sag param turned down. The bias param can also be used to get the feel of the tweed power mode.

I'll get to some more details of the new reverbs in a later post, and Ben should be able to answer the questions on the BE, but iirc the model is one of the newer ones with some revisions on the feedback circuitry and many or all the switches are also built into the model.

[Presonid]

Firmware  2.8 (July 2019):

    8 new amps, 7effects and new features

--Tweed Deluxe 5c3 1958 (Normal, Bright, Jumped)    Fullerton

 

 

Tweed amplifiers, known for their warm-sounding overdrive, typically break up earlier than later "cleaner" models. The main characteristic of these amps is great overdrive and compression. They can have really nice cleans too bu much of the desire for this is the  dynamic and harmonically rich overdrive.

Rich and sweet clean tones at low volume, toothsome overdrive at decibels, the tweed Deluxe is the original “ideal studio and club amp”

 

 

·        This is an all original 12 watt tweed "wide-panel" cabinet tube combo legend. The solid pine cabinet measures . One twelve-inch Jensen Alnico , two instrument inputs and one microphone input, one volume knob, one tone knob, tweed covering, dark brown mohair grill cloth.

The Tweed Deluxe originally came equipped with a Jensen P12R speaker. Due to limited power handling, owners sometimes replaced it with the more powerful Jensen P12Q.

Compared with Fender Deluxe Reverb, is a totally different amp, this is more looser, primitive, midrangy , dynamics are controlled more at the guitar, the harmonics bloom. The Deluxe Reverb (Blackface), is tighter, brighter,    punchier, more articulate and is more pedal  friendly. Relative terms, obviously you can pretty much anything with either amp.

 

Given the early distortion and mellow clean sound we find the Tweed Deluxe is great for single coil guitars, especially the bright bridge pickup of the Strat and Tele.

Learn how to create music with a natural and transparent guitar tone. But the amp is really not as simple. The two interactive volume channels (we suppose not modeled) and the mysterious, non-linear tone control provides a big spectrum of tones, everything from Fender clean to Marshall grit.

 Even more confusing is the tone control. You’d might expect a treble or mid control. Nope, the tone control affects volume, gain, EQ/tone, everything.

 

 

It’s a low output amp. Its 6V6 tubes generate 12 to 15 watts. This means that it starts to distort early. This attributed to its popularity, and is why players such as Neil Young and Billy Gibbons use it. When you really crank the volume, the distortion gets crazy and uncontrollable, and sounds like a fuzz.    Try also to Crank the tone control  almost all the way up (that's the key).

 

 

 

About the circuit numbers: in general the first number indicates the decennium (5 is ‘50s). The letter indicates the circuit revision (C), and the last number indicates the amp model (3 = Deluxe).

The earlier 5C3 Deluxe model  use negative feedback..  Input is self  biased rather than cathode biased (D and E). The grid leak  bias input of the 5C3 makes overload easier (like blocking distortion, so you SHOULD NOT  use hig gain pedals since you will overload the input).

Subsequent versions of the Deluxe is the "wide panel" cabinet design . The early tweeds are described as darker sounding than later models. 

5C3 circuit was produced between 1948 and 1952    2 x 6V6GT, 12 W, has slightly more bass, phase inverter and little negative feedback making the amp a bit tamer sounding.. Amps are know a paraphrase phase inverter  that is less hi-fi and imparts a certain grittiness to the amp. They don’t have much headroom but the overdrive is divine (fat, crunchy).   D and E circuit has cathode bias for the first stage,  it is cleaner and with more headroom and total gain (not a lot of cleans but they are angelic).

 

--Grammatico Amps LaGrange tube guitar amplifier 2016 (Normal, Bright, Jumped)

   

    The LaGrange is Austin (Texas)-based Grammatico Amps' best selling model. And there are many reasons why you so rarely find them. Based on a vintage Tweed Deluxe 5E3 and designed to capture the tones of early ZZ Top, Neil Young, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, George Thorogood, Kenny Burrell, T-Bone Walker, and many other classic rock tones when plugged straight into the amp. It accepts either single coils or humbuckers equally well.

The tone is very woody, warm, round, and fat with throaty mids and sweet rounded highs with just enough zing to make it exciting and cutting. It's very organic, transparent, three dimensional with lots of bloom and harmonic richness. Jensen "Special Design" loudspeaker.

POWER OUTPUT:15 Watts POWER TUBES:2 Tung-sol 6V6 . PRE-AMP TUBES:2 Electro Harmonix 12AX7 and 1 RECTIFIER TUBE:5Y3.  CONTROLS:Volume Normal, Volume Bright, Tone Knob.

SPEAKERS:Jensen P12Q 12" Alnico

With low vol, offers sweet pop and articulation –its tube tone simply blooms (woody, warm, fat mids).

Turn the volume up to midpoint, distorsion starts kicking in. A slight turn to the right and the overdrives  gets grungy. With Humbuckers pickups is a wonderful dirt tone.

The Normal channel was a bit subdued, but ditto the vintage Deluxe 5E3. Bright side, the tone rings. Dial it in to be raw and biting, or get just an edge of grid while retaining rich harmonics. It keeps the articulation of a single note or a full power chord even when fully saturated.

Glorious amp for classic country, rackabilliy, rock and roll, and blues of all flavors. You can leeve your FuzzTone at home, Clean of cranked is simply great fun to play.

Fender's The Edge Deluxe amp is a Deluxe re-issue from 5E3.

--REVV Generator 120 (Gain 2 - Red channel Only ) Clean, Crunch and Gain1(Purple) (not yet) Revv Gen Red

 

 

Revv’s Trademark Gain – Totally unique, tight & full, dozens of voicing options

4 Channels: Clean, Crunch and two switchable, variable Gain channels ( 10 or 120 watts)

Tube arrangement: 5 – 12AX7 , 1 – 12AT7, 4 – 6L6GC
Presence and depth control
Bright switch on clean/crunch and both overdrive channels, Fat switch on both overdrive channels
Contour switches to allow selection of a brighter distortion or a deeper/scooped type of distortion by shifting mid range frequencies for tons of tone variety.

 

3 channel (not modeled yet) or Purple channel is drier, tighter, & clearer than Red Channel 4 (red), with less gain on tap.

As a result - most people use the fatter & more saturated Red Channel 4 (red) for lead & Purple Channel 3 for rhythm, but please experiment to your own tastes, especially if you like a thick chunky rhythm distortion tone or a drier lead tone. This is a 4 channel amp with 2 high gain channels so you can get the exact tones in your head without compromise -however you choose to set it up.

 

Aggression (modeled):

least saturation (green  - 0), tight saturation (blue - 1) & highest/fattest saturation (red - 2).

These aggression levels are highly interactive with the gain knob & can result in everything from broken up rock tones to metal rhythm tones & lead tones.

 

The amplifier has a midrange focus & to modify this you can either slightly dial back the mid control or switch between the two Contour options for

a bright upper-mid focused sound (on) or a thick lower-mid focused sound (off).

Bright & Fat extend the highs & lows respectively. I find it is best to engage these if you prefer the overall tone either or both provide & then

set the treble & bass knobs to taste, accounting for the voicing switch positions. Fat is also a useful tool when switching to a single-coil equipped guitar.

 

Presence & Depth (modeled)

The Presence control from the off position to the 2 o’clock position will give you a subtle increase in treble, & everything past that point will then

provide a greater increase for a sharper cut.

The Depth control is a bass control & will add some incredible low end to the output. Using the control sparingly is recommended to keep the

bass response tight, as higher settings will give you a looser low end.

Note: Lowering the bass control on the three channels & increasing the depth control is also another means of experimenting with the Generator’s

voicing.

Note: Both of these are controls of the power amp section of the amplifier & are global controls which affect all channels. Because they work

well with the EQ of each channel, experimentation will provide a precise tone suited to your needs.

 

--Ampeg SVT-4PRO   (1200 w   )híbrido

Preamp 3x12ax7, mosfet poser amplifier, punchy, warm and precise. great flexibility in the settings

(Freq 1,2,3,4,5) (Bright) (Master)

9 band eq, bright, compresor, frequency
 

 

Effects:

-Shelf EQ
-TILT EQ!  

 

• Line 6 Original. Tilt is a subtle 6dB EQ that boosts high frequencies while simultaneously attenuating low frequencies (or vice versa). Great for quickly making tones a bit brighter or darker. The Center Freq parameter sets the frequency around which the boost and cut pivot  (by default 1khz, but try also as 500 hz as starting point).

 - Hermida  Zendrive

     

• Distortion > Dhyana Drive (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Hermida Zendrive    269 €  (Vol, Gain, Tone, Voice (Max to More HiEnd))  Very dynamic (touch sensitive)

Classic Dumble style pedal that still delivers. Recommended for smooth sustain and harmonic rich drive tones

warm creamy overdrive sound.

Darker and heavy (denso) than a tubescreamer,  can be used also with other overdrives pedal.

 

- Analogramm  King Of Tone

 

• Distortion > Heir Apparent (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Analogman Prince of Tone (basically half a King of Tone) . King of Tone is two channels, this is one channel.   (Vol, Drive, Tone) and OD, Boost, Dist mode.

Preserving the tone of the guitar and adding the right amount of overdrive without compromise.

 

Extreme dynamic cruch. Based on Marshall blues breaker pedal. Perfect for blues stuff.

Left side of the real thing (King of Tone) is (Cliping OD Gain Mod Normal, Presence: 0.9) Presence doesn't exist in the real thing (keep it down).

It can also be Boost or Dist 

Right side of the real thing (King of tone) is (Cliping Dist Gain Higher, Presence: 0)

 

The modes are:

1) Normal Overdrive mode (OD mode): This is the standard King Of Tone sound, which Jim likes best- a little less drive available than a tube screamer. Factory DIP switch setting has this mode on the right (red) side. This mode can get about 4 times louder than a tube screamer if desired.

 

2) CLEAN or Boost mode : This mode has less distortion, it can be used for clean boosts or clearer, louder sounds. It's sort of a cross between a true clean boost and an overdrive. CLEAN MODE is even less compressed than the standard OD mode. The factory DIP switch setting uses this mode on the left (yellow) channel. This mode can get twice as loud as the OD mode.

 

3) DISTORTION mode : This mode has more drive than the standard mode- a touch of hard distortion. The sound is more compressed, yet retains the pedal’s character. This mode can get almost twice as loud as a tube screamer. Distortion mode is not on either side with the factory DIP switch setting.

 

At low DRIVE settings, or when playing softly, there is not much difference between the three modes, they all can get pretty clean. The ability to clean up when playing softly is a very useful feature of this pedal. The Drive knob should not really be set at less than 12:00, it gets a little flat and dull sounding.

 

• Distortion > Tone Sovereign (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Analogman King of Tone V4 (basically two Prince of Tones in one) .     

 

This is the two channels stacked (set presence two cero to simulate the real thing).

It's got a really warm and milky sort of sound to it, perfect for both lead and rhythm guitar parts. Rare to find, rare components

 

- SansAmp Bass drive  DI v1

• Distortion > ZeroAmp Bass DI (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Tech 21® SansAmp Bass Driver DI V1  (240 €)

         
 

-Scrambler bass overdrive

• Distortion > Ampeg Scrambler (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Ampeg® Scrambler Bass Overdrive   (77 €)  can give you a little bit of grit, or a full on distortion

-Moogerfooger Filter  MuRF

 

• Filter > Asheville Pattrn (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Moog® Moogerfooger® MF-105M MIDI MuRF Filter (with both MuRF and Bass MuRF voicings)

SOME TYPICAL SETUPS

UPWARD STAIRCASE WITH RHYTHMIC VARIATION

 

Here is a variation on the basic setting:

Mix (max);   LFO:On;       Freq:Bass    ;     Envelope 2   Patern:  2   Rate:   6

 

filters   1º max,  2º min ,  3º 1/3,    4ºmax  ,   5º med   , 6º  min ,   7º med  ,   8º max 

 

that shows off the ability of the MuRF to create rhythmic variations within the patterns. This is really nice with sustained chords or slowly arpeggiated playing.

 

SWIRLING CASCADES

Mix (max);   LFO:On;       Freq:Bass    ;     Envelope 6   Patern:  3   Rate:   4

 

filters   all maximo

 

This setup shows off the long envelope times of the MuRF, creating a shimmering, slowly evolving timbral landscape for your playing. This shines on chordal playing, but also gives leads an extra something that makes them stand out.

 

GROWING and SHRINKING TREMOLO

Mix (max);   LFO: Off;       Freq:Bass    ;     Envelope 5   Patern:  10   Rate:   7

 

filters   all maximo

The Envelope control set at 5 gives a nice tremolo feel to the effect; the pattern changes gradually from one filter on to all filters on, making the timbre feel like it is growing and shrinking.

   

New Features (Firmware 2.80)

• Variax String Level—Helix can now remotely adjust the level of each guitar string on a connected Variax independently. From the Input > Multi or Input > Variax block, press PAGE > three times and turn Knobs 1-6 to adjust each string’s level. Just like with any amp, cab, or effect, String Level can be quickly assigned to footswitches, expression pedals, or even Snapshots. "Wait. You mean I can assign the expression pedal to swell in the volume of strings 3, 4, 5, and 6? And I can turn down the top two strings for the verse (Snapshot 1) and bring them back in for the chorus (Snapshot 2)? And if the high E is too shrill I can back its volume down to 82%?" Yes. "
• PowerCab Plus remote support—Helix can now remotely adjust parameters in up to two L6 LINK-connected PowerCab Plus modeling speaker cabs. When one PowerCab Plus is connected via L6 LINK (110-ohm AES/EBU cable), it receives a mono signal from Helix; when two PowerCab Plus amps are daisy-chained via L6 LINK, the first cab in the chain receives the left signal and the second cab receives the right signal. From the Output > Multi or Output > Digital block, press PAGE > to view page 2 and turn Knob 2 (PowerCab Select) to choose which PowerCab you'd like to control (or both, for stereo). Just like with any amp, cab, or effect, PowerCab Plus parameters can be quickly assigned to footswitches, expression pedals, or even Snapshots
• DT25/DT50 remote support—Helix can now remotely adjust parameters for up to two L6 LINK-connected DT25 or DT50 amplifiers. When one DT25 or DT50 is connected via L6 LINK (110-ohm AES/EBU cable), it receives a mono signal from Helix; when two DT25 or DT50 amplifiers are daisy-chained via L6 LINK, the first cab in the chain receives the left signal and the second cab receives the right signal. From the Output > Multi or Output > Digital block, press PAGE > to view page 4 and turn Knob 2 (DT Select) to choose which DT amp you'd like to control (or both, for stereo). Just like with any amp, cab, or effect, DT25/DT50 parameters can be quickly assigned to footswitches, expression pedals, or even Snapshots
• Command Center > Hotkeys—The Command Center can now send QWERTY hotkeys (keyboard shortcuts with or without modifiers such as SHIFT, OPTION/ALT, and COMMAND) to your Mac or PC via USB. Helix can now control virtually any software ever made, including DAWs, DJ software, lighting software, media players, video software, browsers, photo editing software, video games, Powerpoint, Excel… If you can control it with your computer keyboard, you can now control it with your feet... or preset or snapshot recall. From the Command Center screen, select a footswitch and turn Knob 1 (Command) to select “Hotkey.” Turn knobs 2-5 to select the desired keystroke. If the keystroke doesn’t have modifiers, leave knobs 2, 3, and 4 set to “None”. IMPORTANT! Note that the first time you update Helix/HX to 2.80, your Mac or PC may ask what kind of keyboard you have connected. Just ignore this and close the window
• New Software Remote Templates for controlling DAWs, YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, and other applications via USB. Press PRESET, move the joystick left to select the Setlist column, select 8 TEMPLATES, and press the joystick. Software remote templates begin at 06B. Note that you can copy and paste all hotkeys into other presets from the Command Center page's Action panel
• Per-Block Snapshot Bypass—Select a block and press ACTION. Turn Knob 5 (Snapshot Bypass) to "Off" to disable snapshot control of that block's bypass state. "On" remains the default for all blocks
• Snapshot Toggle—The new Global Settings > Preferences > Snapshot Reselect parameter determines whether pressing the current Snapshot footswitch reloads that snapshot ("Reload", the default) or toggles between it and the previously selected snapshot ("Toggle Prev")
• Swap Up/Down Switches—On Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, or HX Effects, touch the Up and Down switches together for one second, and then press Knob 6 (OK) [or FS6 on HX Effects]. The up and down switches are now swapped. You may also manually set these from Global Settings > Footswitches > Swap FS1/FS7 [Swap FS1/FS4 on HX Effects]
• Command Center > Momentary CC Toggle/CV Toggle—An additional Type parameter has been added to Amp Control and CC Toggle messages when set to footswitches (and CV Toggles in Helix Floor and Rack/Control)
• Tempo Indicator—Press TAP/TUNER to enter a new tempo. The scribble strip (Performance View on Helix LT) briefly displays the entered tempo
• EXP Indicator—Helix Floor only: Move the built-in expression pedal. The EXP scribble strip displays a position indicator (0 ~ 100%). In addition, a new Global Settings > Displays > Pedal Position Display parameter lets you determine whether the indicator is temporary (disappears after 1 second, the default) or remains visible
• Pedal Edit Mode Enhancements—Pedal Edit Mode now lets you tweak Input and Output block parameters with your feet, including Variax String volume, PowerCab Plus Remote parameters, and DT25/DT50 parameters

New Features (Helix Native 1.80)

• HX Unity—Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects, and HX Stomp all now live within the same ecosystem. Using multiple windows within HX Edit and/or multiple instances within the Helix Native plug-in, both blocks and entire presets can be freely dragged and dropped or copied and pasted between units. Aside from a few obvious caveats (like six blocks in HX Stomp or effects only in HX Effects), all Helix and HX products can now share the same content
• Hardware Compatibility Modes—Helix Native can now reflect the signal flow and model set of all Helix and HX hardware devices, so transferring presets to and from your DAW is even easier. In addition, Hardware Compatibility can be disabled, so the simultaneous model count is now limited only by the speed of your computer. From the lower left-corner of the plug-in window, click your User Name and select "Preferences..." From the Hardware Compatibility Mode pull-down menu, select the desired hardware (or none at all).
• Undo/Redo—From the Edit pull-down menu, select Undo (Shortcut: Command-Z) or Redo (Shortcut: Shift-Command-Z) to undo or redo the most recent edit
• Okay, this one isn't technically a feature, but Helix Native is now $99.99 US for all registered owners of Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, HX Effects, and HX Stomp

Improvements/Changes

·        Helix Floor, Rack/Control, LT, HX Effects only (feature is already in HX Stomp): Additional values have been added to recall snapshots remotely via MIDI. CC69 Value 8 will select the next snapshot and Value 9 will select the previous snapshot

·        Helix Floor, Rack/Control, LT only (feature is already in HX Effects and HX Stomp): Global Settings > Footswitches > Touch Select now lets you choose whether (if) touching a switch, pressing a switch, or both selects any assigned item. The default remains "Touch."

·        Helix Floor, Rack/Control, LT, HX Effects only: Pressing Up and Down switches now exits snapshot mode as well as entering it.

·        Helix Floor, Rack/Control, LT only: The "Pac Man" shortcut where moving the joystick right from the Output block jumps to the Input block (and vice versa) now also works when moving the joystick up and down

·        Helix Floor, Rack/Control, LT only (feature is already in HX Stomp and HX Effects): On the Save Preset screen, moving the joystick right from the last character jumps to the first (and vice versa)

·        Helix Floor, Rack/Control, LT only: Page indication has changed from small colored dots to the right of the inspector to a scrolling inspector header line (similar to the one in HX Stomp)

·        Impulse Response blocks now display as many IR file name characters as will fit in the inspector header. In addition, the last several characters will be visible regardless of name length (as they're often the most important ones!)

·        Helix Floor, Rack/Control, LT, HX Stomp: Pressing the Cab > Mic parameter knob now returns the value to default

·        Helix Floor, Rack/Control, LT only (feature is already in HX Stomp): The boot screen now displays a red progress bar

·        Helix Floor, Rack/Control, LT, HX Effects: Copying and pasting all Command Center commands now properly pastes any custom labels

·        Helix Floor, Rack/Control, LT, HX Effects: Pressing Up and Down together from Snapshot mode now exits to the previous mode (same as pressing EXIT)

 

 

 

[Presonid]

2.9 Model Updates (April 2020)

 

Amps

• The Revv Gen Purple, based on the purple (Gain 1) channel 3 of the Revv Generator 120   Tighter, more compresed feel than the Red channel, less gain. Red is more agresive and open

Cabinets

• 1×12 Fullerton, based on the classic 1953 Fender 5C3 Tweed Deluxe (Open)  Jensen Alinco Speaker 12"
• 1×12 Grammatico, based on the modern 2016 Grammatico LaGrange    (Open)  SPEAKERS:Jensen P12Q 12" Alnico

Effects

• Alpaca Rouge, inspired by a modded Way Huge Red Llama
• 

                      overdrive that can do it all—and with just two simple knobs. A perennial favorite of Heartbreaker guitarist Mike Campbell

                             Overdrive de Boutique con una tonalidad similar a un Tweed Amp

                              Respuestra transparente y dinámica , Ganancia legendaria capaz de apretar incluso a los amplis más limpios

                               Volume y Drive

                                Circuito CMOS para reproducir el sonido y la dinámica de válvula

 

• Legendary Drive, based on the Carvin VLD1 Legacy Drive (high-gain channel) Steve Vai Legendary Drive

  

VLD1 Legacy Drive tube preamp pedal was created at Steve Vai’s request so the shred supremo could pack his familiar Carvin Legacy amp tone into a carry-on bag and plug into any available power amp or DI situation.

 connecting to the front end of any traditional guitar amp or It can be plugged straight into any available sound system
 Two genuine 12AX7 preamp tubes

 

 The drive channel has drive and volume controls, master and presence control.

 sizzling contemporary rock lead tones peppered with lashings of harmonic saturation and good dynamic range.  —a range of high-gain lead sounds that might otherwise The tone stage has plenty of EQ-sculpting power when you need it, and by balancing gain and volume controls it’s easy to go from a tasty vintage crunch

In fron of an amp, this is much like stacking two full tube-powered preamp stages—the VLD1’s into your amp’s—results are extremely dependent on the host amp’s preamp gain and EQ settings, and milder takes on each elicited the best results.

 

• Xenomorph Fuzz, inspired by the Subdecay Harmonic Antagonizer Fuzz
• 
• Rochester Comp, based on the Ashly CLX-52  Billy Sheehan compresor

                    This, combined with a dual release time, allows program density to increase as the input signal increases. The result is a peak controller with very low      noise, smooth sound, and excellent stereo tracking without the usual “constricted” limiter sound.

 

Es muy útil para aplicaciones tan diversas como la protección del altavoz, control de nivel vocal, limitación de broadcast, sustain de instrumentos musicales, efectos especiales

 

• Small Stone Phaser

El pedal permite obtener un sonido phaser clásico, típico del classic rock de los 60's y 70's, muy al estilo Pink Floyd. Es ideal para rasgados lentos (tipo "Breathe" de Pink Floyd) o para solear al estilo Jimi Hendrix o Santana. El dial rate permite elegir el período de fase y el switch color permite obtener un sonido phaser más acentuado y agudo

• Split Dynamics (Path A/B Routing)-
•  Knob 1 (Threshold)—Signals below the Threshold are routed to Path A; signals above the Threshold are routed to Path B
• Knob 2 (Attack)—Determines how fast the signal routes to Path B once reaching the Threshold
• Knob 3 (Decay)—Determines how fast the signal returns to Path A once falling below the Threshold
• Knob 4 (Reverse)—Swaps dynamic path routing. When set to "On", signals below the Threshold are routed to Path B and signals above the Threshold are routed to Path A

Feature Updates:
-Output Meters
-Gain Reduction Meters
-Clip Indicators
-IR Attachment by Name
-New Switch/Snap/Looper Layout Options
-New Model Subcategory Shortcuts
 

[Presonid]

 

 

Helix 3.0 includes new amps, cabs, effects, features, bug fixes, and other changes and improvements

 

New Amps

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Stomp

 

 

• US Princess, based on* the Fender® Princeton Reverb                          1300 e        (2008)                                                                                                  Equipped with: 1x 10" Jensen C-10R speaker        Power amplifier with 2 6V6GT tubes      volume, treble, bass

Amplificador 100% a válvulas, con altavoz Jensen, que recrea con fidelidad el sonido característico de los equipos clásicos Fender de los sesenta. Posee un sonido limpio y cristalino, típico de Fender, e incorpora la clásica reverb de muelles y el vibrato generado por válvulas.

gracias a la combinación de válvulas y el altavoz Jensen. De serie incluye la mítica válvula rectificadora 5R4A, el principal responsable de su característico sonido.

Sus 15 Watios lo convierten en un amplificador ideal para tocar en casa, en el local de ensayo y para actuaciones en locales pequeños. Además es facilmente transportable por su reducido tamaño.  Sin loop

• Das Benzin Mega, based on* the Mega channel of the Diezel VH4     2900 e  (2006)

100 W  4 Power valves KT77  

Still made the exact same way as in 1992, the VH4 revolutionized the industry with its 4-Channel and individual inserts design. Back in the 90s, i wanted to create an amp that covers a wide range of tone. It has a thick, articulate and  ‘meaty” sound, that is why it’s loved by many heavy players. But because of it´s flexibility, it´s also used in many recording studios all over the world.

 

The Mega channel delivers Diezel’s trademark – highly-defined heavy metal rhythm sounds to soaring solo sound

 

El canal 3 esl high-gain. Agresivo, con mucha pegada y con una claridad impresionante, lo que lo hace ideal para tocar punk, rock, metal y un largo etcétera.
 

• Das Benzin Lead, based on* the Lead channel of the Diezel VH4

The lead channel carries over from Mega, more gain, more compression, more bottom, more smooth top end –creamy, authoritative, loud.

 

El canal 4, al igual que todos los anteriores, es ultra-dinámico. Tiene más ganancia que el 3 y es perfecto para solos.

 

New Cabs

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Stomp

 

 

• 1x10 US Princess, based on* the Fender® Princeton Reverb cab    1x10" Jensen C-10R speaker
• 1x12 US Princess, based on* the Fender® Princeton Reverb with a 12" Alnico Blue driver

 

New Effects

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects, HX Stomp

 

 

• Distortion > Horizon Drive (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Horizon Devices Precision Drive. Includes an extra Gate Range parameter that, when set to "Extended," drops the gate's threshold down to -90dB
• Distortion > Swedish Chainsaw (Mono, Stereo), based on* the BOSS® HM-2 Heavy Metal Distortion (Made in Japan black label)
• Distortion > Pocket Fuzz (Mono, Stereo), inspired by* the Jordan Boss Tone fuzz
• Distortion > Bighorn Fuzz (Mono, Stereo), based on* the 1973 Electro-Harmonix® Ram's Head Big Muff Pi
• Distortion > Ballistic Fuzz (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Euthymia ICBM fuzz
• Dynamics > Horizon Gate (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Horizon Devices Precision Drive's gate circuit. Includes an extra Gate Range parameter that, when set to "Extended," drops the gate's threshold down to -90dB. Works best before an amp
• EQ > Acoustic Sim (Mono, Stereo), based on* the BOSS® AC-2 Acoustic Simulator. Includes an extra Shimmer parameter that imparts some motion to the harmonics, reminiscent of how a string's vibration tends to affect the other strings. Can be used alone or in conjunction with an acoustic IR
• Modulation > Poly Detune (Mono), Line 6 Original. Great for those who avoid traditional chorus pedals
• Delay > Poly Sustain (Mono), Line 6 Original infinite sustain with a modulated poly pitch engine built in
  1. Assign Poly Sustain to a stomp footswitch. By default, Poly Sustain appears bypassed.
  2. First play the note or chord you wish to sustain, and then press the footswitch (on) to sustain it indefinitely. Keep playing while the note or chord loops. TIP: Some players may find it easier to change the footswitch mode to Momentary; that way, the note or chord sustains only while you hold the switch on, much like the sustain pedal on a piano.
  3. Press the switch again (off), and the sustained note or chord fades out.
  • Interval—Sets the pitch of the sustained note or chord. TIP: This parameter is especially cool for creating massive drones to play over
  • Attack—Sets the speed at which the sustained note or chord fades in
  • Decay—Sets the speed at which the sustained note or chord fades out after bypassing the effect
  • Mod Freq—Sets the speed of the built-in modulation
  • Mod Depth—Sets the depth of the built-in modulation
  • FX Level—Sets the level of the sustained signal
  • RandDpth—Higher values increase the randomization of the section of audio being sustained, resulting in a more natural, but less predictable drone
  • RandSpeed—Controls how fast the randomization wanders
  • Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
• Delay > Glitch Delay (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original performance delay that lets you freely manipulate the repeats' behavior in real-time
  • Time—Sets the delay time; press the knob to toggle between ms/sec and note values
  • Delay Div—Divides the delay time into smaller increments
  • Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the delay. When set to 0%, no delay is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
  • Feedback—Controls the overall number of repeats heard for the entire sequence
  • SliceFdbk—Controls the number of repeats heard for individual slices. At higher values, you could call this "Super Chaotic Feedback"
  • Shuffle—Determines the likelihood of repeats shuffling/reordering
  • Octaves—Determines the likelihood of repeats playing back an octave higher or lower
  • Reverse—Determines the likelihood of repeats playing backward
  • Seq Drift—Determines the likelihood of the entire sequence changing every time it loops around. When set to 0%, the same sequence loops forever. TIP: Assign this parameter to a footswitch set to toggle between a higher number and 0%. If you hear a random sequence you want to maintain, press the switch to set Seq Drift to 0%, and it'll repeat that way indefinitely
  • Smoothing—Higher values apply smoothing between slices and can give a synth-pad type quality, lower values maintain transients. Or set it just high enough to avoid pops and clicks
  • Trails—When on, delay repeats continue to ring out after the block is bypassed
• Pitch/Synth > Poly Pitch (Mono), Line 6 Original
  • NOTE: Polyphonic pitch engines are designed for shifting complex chords with minimal artifacts at the expense of latency (and our algorithms have lower latency than leading standalone poly pitch pedals). If you're looking to pitch individual notes (such as in a solo), monophonic pitch-shifting is often preferred. See the Tracking parameter below for more information
  • IMPORTANT! 3.0's new poly models are extremely DSP-intensive. Some effects can eat up roughly a quarter of all available DSP on a Helix Floor, Rack, or LT or half (!!!) of all available DSP on HX Stomp or HX Effects. You also can't run more than one on the same path/DSP (unless  you're running Helix Native with Hardware Compatibility Mode turned off). Don't say we didn't warn you...
  • Interval—Sets the pitch of the effect in semitones
  • Cents—Sets the pitch of the effect in cents
  • ShiftTime—Determines how long it takes for the signal to ramp up or down to the set pitch when the block is enabled. Press the knob to toggle between ms/Sec and note/beat values. TIP: Want to hit the switch and have Poly Pitch dive bomb and land exactly one bar later? Press the knob to select note values and set ShiftTime to "1/1"
  • ShiftCurve—Determines the trajectory curve of the pitch shift over time. StartSlow values are concave (slower changes to start, speeding up toward the end); StartFast values are convex (the opposite). At the knob's extremes (Start Slow 5 and Start Fast 5), the pitch will actually overshoot a little before settling on the target pitch. The default is "Linear"
  • ReturnTime—Determines how long it takes for the signal to return to normal pitch when the block is bypassed. Press the knob to toggle between ms/Sec and note/beat values
  • ReturnCurv—Determines the trajectory curve when returning to the original pitch. StartSlow values are concave (slower changes to start, speeding up toward the end); StartFast values are convex (the opposite). At the knob's extremes (Start Slow 5 and Start Fast 5), the pitch will actually overshoot a little before settling on the original pitch. The default is "Linear"
  • Tracking—Determines how the poly pitch engine reacts to your playing. Leave this set to "X Stable" (the default, with the fewest artifacts when pitch shifting complex chords) and only select a different setting if you experience too much latency when playing fast lead lines
  • Auto EQ—Determines how much compensation EQ is applied to the shifted signal. If the effected signal sounds too harsh when pitched up (or dull when pitched down), adjust this setting to taste. The higher the value, the more EQ is applied at the shift end points; when set to 0.0, no compensation EQ is applied
  • Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the pitch-shift
  • Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
• Pitch/Synth > Poly Wham (Mono), Line 6 Original. Automatically assigned to EXP 1 and the toe switch toggles it on and off. See Poly Pitch notes above for additional information
• Pitch/Synth > Poly Capo (Mono), Line 6 Original. A Simpler version of Poly Pitch when you just want to transpose your playing. See Poly Pitch notes above for additional information
• Pitch/Synth > 12 String (Mono), Line 6 Original 12-string guitar emulation
• Volume/Pan > Stereo Imager (Stereo), Line 6 Original. Used to increase the apparent stereo width of your signal when connecting Helix to two amps or a stereo playback system; just make sure there aren't any mono blocks after it!
• Looper > Shuffling Looper (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original. Part looper, part sampler, part inspiration generator, part performance instrument, the Shuffling Looper intelligently chops up your playing and gives you real-time control over reordering, octave shifting, reversing, and repeating. It's all immense fun (even on vocals, drums, and percussion), but you'll want to familiarize yourself with its controls. IMPORTANT: The Shuffling Looper does not currently respond to Command Center > HX Commands or per-function MIDI commands

1. Add the Shuffling Looper to a preset and assign it to a footswitch.
2. Turn Knob 1 (Slices) to set the number of slices your loop will be chopped into. 8 slices is the default.
3. Press the switch to begin recording. The LED lights red, indicating the loop is recording.
4. At the end of your loop, press the switch. The LED lights green, and the sliced loop sequence immediately plays.
5. During playback, adjust the following knobs (or assign them to controllers, like expression pedals or snapshots):
   • Slices—Changes the number of slices your loop will be chopped into
   • SeqLength—Determines the number of slices in the sequence. This can be changed even after recording a loop
   • Shuffle—Determines the likelihood of slices shuffling/reordering. At 0%, the slices never shuffle; at 100%, they're constantly reshuffling
   • Octave—Determines the likelihood of slices playing back an octave higher or lower
   • Reverse—Determines the likelihood of slices playing backward
   • Repeat—Determines the likelihood of slices repeating
   • Smoothing—Higher values apply smoothing between slices and can give a synth-pad type quality, lower values maintain transients. Or set it just high enough to avoid pops and clicks
   • Seq Drift—Determines the likelihood of the entire slice sequence changing every time it loops around. When set to 0.0, the same sequence repeats forever; when set to 10.0, the sequence changes completely every time it loops TIP: Assign this parameter to a footswitch set to toggle between a higher number and 0%. If you hear a random sequence you want to maintain, press the switch to set Seq Drift to 0%, and it'll repeat that way indefinitely
   • Playback—Sets the looper's playback level
   • Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the loop, letting you remove the looper signal below a certain frequency
   • High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the loop, letting you remove the looper signal above a certain frequency
6. Want to change it up? While the loop is playing, press the switch to randomize its slice sequence.
7. Quickly double-press the switch. Playback/recording stops, and the LED lights white, indicating a loop is in memory. Press again to restart.
8. While the loop is playing or stopped, press and hold the switch. The recording is deleted, and the LED lights dim white.

*NOTE: All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or affiliated with them. These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

 

 

New Features

True Preset Spillover

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT only

 

 

Despite what some might have you believe, the only digital multieffects units with true preset spillover were the DigiTech GSP1101, 2112, and 2120, and they accomplished this by dedicating a second identical DSP to spillover and only spillover. (Basically, to hear two dynamically allocated presets with absolutely zero gap—not some global reverb or delay smeared to cover the gap—you need enough DSP to run both of them simultaneously.) So... if you're willing to sacrifice half your DSP—that is, COMPLETELY DISABLE PATH 2—you too can have true preset spillover. IMPORTANT! Unfortunately, Looper recording or playback will not currently spill over from one preset to another. Also, note that there may be a slight hiccup when switching between two presets with different impedance values for the Guitar Input.

1. In the Global Settings > Preferences menu, set Preset Spillover to "On." (SHORTCUT: Hold ACTION and press HOME.) A dialog appears, reading "Remove Path 2 to enable preset spillover?"
2. Press Knob 6 (OK).
3. Press HOME. Path 2 has disappeared! You may now switch presets to your heart's delight with true spillover, but note that if Preset A is still spilling over into Preset B (say one of its delay's feedback is making it self-oscillate), switching to Preset C will abruptly cut off Preset A.
4. To return to normal operation with two paths, turn Preset Spillover back to "Off." (SHORTCUT: Hold ACTION and press HOME again.) A dialog appears, reading "The preset must be reloaded. All unsaved changes will be lost!" So if you've made changes to the preset, be sure to save it before turning Spillover off.
5. Press Knob 6 (OK).

But but but... I don't wanna lose Path 2 for spillover!

Then keep using snapshots.

 

Favorites

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects, HX Stomp

 

 

If you've dialed in an amp or effects block exactly the way you like it, you can now save its settings as a favorite so it can be added very quickly, complete with bypass state and footswitch assignment. (Favorites in HX Effects do not recall footswitch assignment.) Favorites appear in a new "Favorites" category and can be renamed, reordered, and cleared. From HX Edit, you can use the Export and Import Favorites to create an endless collection of them on your hard drive, and even share them with friends and across devices (where supported). TIP: If you don't want a favorite to be recalled with its footswitch assignment, save the block as a favorite without assigning a footswitch."

1. Choose one of your favorite amps or effects and tweak it exactly how you like it, with or without footswitch assignment. (Favorites in HX Effects do not recall footswitch assignment.)
2. Press ACTION and then press Add to Favorites. The Favorites list appears.
3. If you wish to replace an existing favorite (you get 128 total), select it and press Replace Favorite. If you wish to add a new favorite, select the location where you want to place it and press Add New Favorite.
4. OPTIONAL: While the Favorites list is open, press ACTION.
   • To reorder the selected favorite up or down the list, turn Reorder Favorite (on HX Effects, press Reorder Up or Reorder Down)
   • To rename the selected favorite, press Rename Favorite
   • To clear the selected favorite, press Clear Favorite
   • To clear all favorites, press Clear All Favorites. A dialog appears. Press OK to confirm.

All right, so what?

Here's what:

1. At any time, select an empty block and turn the joystick (Big Knob on HX Effects or Lower Knob on HX Stomp). All your perfectly-tweaked favorite amps and effects instantly appear, without having to open the model list at all. If you typically keep effect types on the same stomp footswitches, you could conceivably create a brand new preset with all of your favorite stuff—including all footswitch assignments—in less than 10 seconds. Creating tones has never been faster or easier. TIP: If you keep one or more external pedals connected to Helix's FX Loops, add the FX Loop blocks as favorites and then rename them after the real thing.

Wait. Did you really name the 3.0 update after the 2004 romantic comedy starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston that has a dismal rating of 27% on Rotten Tomatoes?

Huh. I guess it sounds dumb when you put it that way.

 

User Model Defaults

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects, HX Stomp

 

 

3.0 lets you save any amp, cab, or effect block's settings as default, so every time you call that model up, it sounds exactly the way you want it. Or, if you want to revert it to factory default, you can do that too. Editing/saving a User Default does not affect any existing instances of the model currently in use in your presets.

1. Choose any model and tweak it exactly how you like it.
2. Press ACTION and then User Default. From Helix Native or HX Edit, right-click (Mac: control-click) the block icon and select "User Default." 

 

Global Settings > Preferences > Auto Impedance

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT,  HX Stomp

 

 

A new Global Settings > Preference parameter determines how the Guitar In's impedance circuit behaves when Input > In-Z is set to "Auto." When set to "First Block" (the default, and how Helix has worked since the beginning), the impedance circuit reflects the impedance of the first block on Path 1A, regardless of whether it's enabled or bypassed. When set to "First Enabled," the impedance circuit reflects the impedance of the first enabled block on Path 1A. Called "Auto Impedance" because "Sorry-this-took-so-long-we-love-you-Tito83" wouldn't fit.

 

Impedance List (From POD HD manual; Helix impedance list is not available, but it should be similar):

Amps & Preamps      All Amp & Preamp Models      1M
Distortion FX
Tube Screamer  230k
Colorsound 136k
Maestro Fuzz Tone 230k
Arbiter Fuzz Face  22k
   Jumbo Fuzz  (Vox Tone Bender)  90k
Big Muff PI  22k
Tycobrahe Octavia 230k
   All Other Distortion Models   1M
All Dynamics Models    1M
Modulation FX
Mu-Tron Bi Phase)   230k
   U-Vibe    90k
Boss CE-1  22k
   All Other Modulation Models   1M
Filter FX    All Filter Models   1M
Pitch FX   All Pitch Models  1M  

Delay FX
   Multi Head  (Roland RE 101) 22k
   Analog Echo   230k
   Analog w/Mod  90k
   All Other Delay Models   1M
Reverb FX   All Reverb Models   1M
Wah FX
   Weeper  90k
   All Other Wah Models    1M

 

Min/Max Value Indicators

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT,  HX Stomp [Feature already in HX Effects]

 

 

Parameters assigned to controllers or snapshots now display small white Min Value (below) and Max Value (above) indicators above and below the value bar. You can now see the range of continuous controllers from the Home screen.

 

8 Blocks in HX Stomp

 

 

HX Stomp's simultaneous block count has been increased from six to eight.

IMPORTANT! Although HX Stomp now has two additional block locations, this doesn't mean it magically has more DSP horsepower to accommodate those blocks. Don't be surprised if you're not able to fill all eight blocks with exactly what you want, especially considering the new polyphonic pitch models take up a lot more DSP. We've taken note of those who've bemoaned HX Stomp's 6 block limit, and if the same person now complains about running out of DSP with 8 blocks, we're sending hooligans to their home to administer an atomic wedgie.

NOTE: It shouldn't come as any surprise, but any presets you make in 3.0 will not be compatible with 2.92 or earlier firmware.

 

Command Center in HX Stomp

HX Stomp [Feature already in Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, and HX Effects]

 

 

Why would people expect a stompbox with only three footswitches to also act as a master MIDI controller? Yeah, we don't know either, but enough of you asked for it, and it wasn't exceedingly difficult to add.

1. Press <PAGE and PAGE> together to open the Menu and then press Knob 3 (Command Center).
2. Turn the Upper Knob to select the command source (Instant 1-6, Footswitch 1-5, or EXP 1-2).
3. Turn Knob 1 (Command) to select the type of command you wish to transmit. For information on the types of commands HX Stomp transmits, see the HX Stomp 3.0 Owner's Manual.

Wait, does this mean I can use HX Stomp as both an audio interface AND a remote control for YouTube lesson videos by sending QWERTY hotkeys?

Yes.

 

Tuner in Helix Native

 

 

Helix Native now has the same needle and strobe tuner from Helix.

1. Click the tuner icon.
2. From the Type pull-down menu, choose the tuner type: Coarse, Fine, or Strobe.

 

Gain Reduction Meters in Helix Native

 

 

The following block types display a gain reduction meter in the inspector when selected:

• Dynamics > Compressor
• Dynamics > Gate

 

Artist Presets

IMPORTANT! Because we never want to overwrite your own presets, upgrading to 3.0 does NOT automatically make these presets visible; there are two methods to restore them:

 

METHOD ONE: Resetting Factory Presets

WARNING! Restoring factory presets will completely overwrite your own, so make sure they're backed up first!

1. Make sure you've backed up your presets and turn off Helix/HX.
2. Perform the following procedure:
   • Helix Floor/LT: While holding footswitches 7 and 8 (two leftmost switches on the bottom row), turn on Helix Floor/LT. Wait for "Will restore stock Presets and Setlsts..." to appear and let go
   • Helix Rack/Control: While holding knobs 3 and 4 (two middle knobs below the screen), turn on Helix Rack. Wait for "Will restore stock Presets and Setlsts..." to appear and let go
   • Helix Native: Click the gear icon in the lower left corner, select the Presets/IRs tab, and click "Restore Factory Setlists"
   • HX Effects: While holding footswitches 5 and 6 (two middle switches on the bottom row), turn on HX Effects. Wait for "Will reset Presets..." to appear and let go
   • HX Stomp: While holding footswitches 1 and 2, turn on HX Effects. Wait for "Will reset Presets..." to appear and let go

 

METHOD TWO: Manually Loading 3.0 Factory Setlists via HX Edit

WARNING HX Effects/Stomp users! Loading a factory setlist file will completely overwrite your own, so make sure everything's backed up first!

WARNING Helix Floor/Rack/LT/Native users! Loading a factory setlist file will completely overwrite the current setlist, so make sure it's backed up first! We strongly recommend you choose an empty (or unwanted) setlist to overwrite.

1. Click here and download the setlist file(s) for your Helix or HX product.
2. Connect Helix/HX to your computer and launch HX Edit 3.0 (or higher).
3. If you have Helix Floor, Rack, LT, or Native, select the Presets tab and click the Setlists pull down to select the setlist you wish to overwrite (see image below). HX Effects and HX Stomp do not have multiple setlist locations, so you can skip this step.
4. Drag the .hls setlist file you downloaded in Step 1 onto the Preset List.

 

Helix 3.0 includes factory presets created by the following artists:

 

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, Helix Native [FACTORY 1 setlist]

• 13B-14C—Fish (Christina Aguilera)
• 14D—Jeff Waters (Annihilator)
• 15A, 15B—Richie Castellano (Blue Öyster Cult)
• 15C—Robbie Calvo
• 15D—Ryan "Fluff" Bruce (Dragged Under)
• 16A-16D—Felix Martin
• 17A—Mario Quintaro (Spotlights)
• 17B, 17C—Bumblefoot (Sons of Apollo)
• 17D, 18A—Billy Sheehan (Sons of Apollo, Winery Dogs)
• 18B—Andy Abad (Jennifer Lopez)
• 18C-19B—Misha Mansoor (Periphery)
• 19C—Duke Erikson (Garbage)
• 19D—Steve Marker (Garbage)
• 20A—Eric Avery (Garbage)
• 20B—Bill Kelliher (Mastodon)
• 20C—John Browne (Monuments)
• 20D—Olly Steele (Monuments)
• 21A—Jon Button (The Who)
• 21B—Trev Lukather (Levara)
• 21C—Steve Howe (Yes)
• 21D—Dustin Kensrue (Thrice)
• 22A—Pete Thorn
• 22B—Rhett Shull
• 22C—Jade Puget (A.F.I.)
• 22D, 23A—Jeff Schroeder (The Smashing Pumpkins)
• 23B—Graham Coxon (Blur)
• 23C, 23D—Chris Buck
• 24A—Lewis Allen (Sam Smith)
• 24B-25A—Rabea Massaad
• 25B—Soren Andersen
• 25C—Devin Townsend
• 25D, 26A—Nathan Navarro
• 26B-26D—Vernon Reid
• 27B—Philip Bynoe
• 27C—Markus Reuter

HX Effects

• 12A-12D—Julien Baker
• 13A—Sarah "Noveller" Lipstate
• 13B, 13C—Steve Stevens

 

3.0 Owner's Manuals

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT,  Helix Native, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Edit

 

 

As it's immensely expensive and complicated to translate Owner's Manuals into the many languages we're required by law to provide, Helix and HX Owner's Manuals have not been updated since 2.X. They've now been updated for 3.0.

• Helix Floor
• Helix Rack/Control
• Helix LT
• Helix Native
  • You can also access the 3.0 Pilot's Guide from within Helix Native itself. Click the question mark in the lower left corner and select "Pilot's Guide"
• HX Effects
• HX Stomp
• HX Edit—Access the 3.0 Pilot's Guide from within HX Edit itself. Click the question mark in the lower left corner and select "Pilot's Guide"

 

Other Changes and Improvements

• On HX Stomp, Global Settings > Footswitches > Stomp Select now has an "Off" value. When set this way, neither touching nor pressing will change which block is in focus [value is already in Helix Floor, Rack, and LT]
• Pitch/Synth > 4 OSC Generator OscFreq parameters now display single Hz resolution between 100 and 1000 Hz
• HX Edit now lets you restore individual setlists from a backup
• In HX Edit, Favorites and User Model Defaults can now be restored from a backup, independent of setlists, presets, IRs, and Global Settings
• Gain reduction meters now also appear for the Input block's noise gate [Helix Floor, Rack, and LT only]
• Gain reduction meters and signal present indicators are now more responsive
• Parameter knob ballistics have been improved
• Parameter slider handles are thinner to accommodate new min/max value indicators
• Press-turning a knob to assign Snapshot control now requires a bit more turning to minimize accidental assignments
• New splash screens for Helix Floor/Rack/LT and HX Stomp

 

[Presonid]

New Amp in 3.10    (added 15-04-2021)

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

 

• Mandarin Rocker based on* the Orange® Rockerverb 100 MKIII (Dirty Channel).    1800€                      NOTE: Line6  decided to slightly alter the model so that at lower settings, the Drive knob's taper exhibits a smoother transition into distortion.

   

Power: 100 W RMS    Class A/B    "Pics only" design with pictograms above the knobs     Preamp tubes: 4x ECC83      Power amp tubes: 4x EL34

Reverb/ effects loop tubes: 2x ECC81 (Not modelated)

Control options in dirty channel: gain, bass, middle, treble, volume

 

 

Celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2014, the Rockerverb Series demonstrates that an amp can be a master of all trades. The original Rockerverb was orange first ever ‘high gain’ amplifier, with a unique voice (favourite amongst the heavy crowd). However, its supreme versatility and dependability meant the series has been a mainstay for touring artists and session aces, both on the road and in the studio.

 

The Rockerverb 100 MkIII is a fire-breathing 100-watt rock and metal head, but it does a good impression of a spongy mid-powered boutique amp. 

The dirty channel is versatile. Up to the halfway point, the gain control increases overdrive gradually. Around one o’clock, the overdrive begins morphing into distortion and by three o’clock the sound can be described as high-gain.

You can negate any fizziness by cranking up the volume and allowing the power tubes to thicken and round out the tone. Powerchords crunch and punch, and the Rockerverb 100 can sustain single notes almost indefinitely, even before you reach high-gain mode.

The term `beefed-up power supply’ may ring alarm bells for incorrigible tweed tone enthusiasts, but any concerns are misplaced. The 100 MkIII is not one of those high-power amps with stiff and spiky transients. Instead, you just get well-controlled lows with properly defined pick attack.

 

New Effects in 3.10

 

• Distortion > Ratatouille Dist (Mono, Stereo), based on* the 1984 Pro Co RAT. Turns out our Vermin Dist model was broken. Sorry! We were going to replace it completely but a bunch of people had presets with the old version. On top of that, we found out our RAT's LM308 chip had crapped out since we modeled it last so we decided to get it into perfect working order and start from scratch.
  • Gain—Sets the amount of distortion
  • Filter—Sets the amount of high cut (low pass) filter applied to the distortion, basically letting more treble through (lower values) or filtering it out (higher values)
  • Level—Sets the overall level of the block

           La característica que define el comportamiento del Rat, esa es versatilidad. Trabajando a valores muy bajos de “distorsion” podremos obtener un tono típico de overdrive, ideal para calentar un ampli de válvulas. En cuanto subamos este control, observaremos que la saturación se encabrita rápidamente, aportando una gran cantidad de armónicos a nuestro sonido. Tendremos que tratar con cuidado el control de “filter” para que el sonido final no se nos vaya de las manos. Sin embargo, si le prestamos un poco de tiempo a compatibilizar la respuesta del efecto con el tipo de guitarra y amplificador que utilicemos, conseguiremos una variedad de registros que hará las delicias de cualquier rockero. Palm mutes ultra definidos, sustain infinito en notas únicas, tono aflautado para solear y, si es lo que queremos, barrera de sonido infranqueable. La presencia de nuestra guitarra en el contexto de una banda está garantizada si empleamos un Rat para atacar nuestros solos. E incluso, atacando sobre el canal saturado de un amplificador, conseguiremos ese plus que tantas veces se hecha en falta.

• Modulation > Retro Reel (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original effect that simulates playing a signal back from an analog tape machine. This signal can be distorted, filtered to sound older or more lo-fi, and modulated with wow and flutter. TIP: Helix Native users should definitely try Retro Reel on all sorts of tracks—vocals, drums, keyboards, strings, busses, effects returns, you name it. Anything that needs a bit more punch or vibe.
  • Wow Fluttr—Determines how much warbly tape sound is heard
  • Saturation—Adds analog tape saturation and at high enough settings, distortion. At lower settings, it's great for simply warming up a tone
  • Low Cut—Determines the frequency of the Low Cut (High Pass) filter. At higher settings, can provide a lo-fi effect
  • High Cut—Determines the frequency of the High Cut (Low Pass) filter. At lower settings, can provide the natural high-end roll-off of old tape
  • Tape Speed—Changes both the rate of the modulation applied by the Wow Fluttr control and the filtering response of the analog tape emulation
  • Level—Sets the overall level of the block
  • Texture—Adjusts the amount of the NAB tape EQ in the simulated tape path. When Saturation is set to 0.0, the texture is invisible. When Saturation is turned up, the texture will affect the tightness (or looseness) of the distortion
• Delay > Euclidean Delay (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original delay based on Euclidean algorithms. Creates multitap patterns by setting the length of the pattern (Steps) and the number of taps (Fill) in the pattern. The Euclidean algorithm spaces taps as evenly as possible throughout the pattern, resulting in rhythms from traditional to highly complex. Settle in because this one'll require diagrams and charts and whatnot. TIP: Add two Euclidean Delays in parallel (with different settings) for interesting polyrhythm patterns. When using a stereo playback system, try panning Paths A and B in the Mixer to L100 and R100.
  • Step Time—Sets the time between steps. The total delay time is Time x Steps, so [Time: 1/16 x Steps: 8] is a 1/2-note. Press the knob to toggle between ms/sec and note values
  • Feedback—Controls the overall number of repeats heard for the entire sequence. If you want to hear all fills in the sequence only once, set to 0%
  • Steps—Determines the number of steps in the sequence (1-16; see diagram below)
  • Fill—The number of active taps, whose spacing is set by Euclidean algorithms (1-16, see diagram below). If Fill is higher than Steps, the extra taps are ignored
  • Rotate—Rotates all fills forward by the same amount (0-15; see diagram below). Used If you like the sound of a repeat pattern but want the fills and gaps shifted forward
  • Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the delay. When set to 0%, no delay is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
  • Low Cut—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the fills, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
  • High Cut—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the fills, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
  • Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
  • Trails—When on, delay repeats continue to ring out after the block is bypassed

Sorry. If you'd like to read more about Euclidean rhythms, check this out: https://splice.com/blog/euclidean-rhythms/ Or if you'd like to know more about Euclidean math, see ya' in a semester or two! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclidean_algorithm

• Reverb > Dynamic Hall (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original hall reverb
  • Decay—Sets the decay of the reverb (0.1 sec ~ 45.0 sec, or Infinity) TIP: Assign a second stomp switch to toggle between a lower Decay value and Infinity. Label it "ForEVER ever?"
  • Predelay—Determines the amount of delay heard before the signal enters the hall. Can sometimes result in more definition between the dry and effected signals
  • Room Size—Sets the size of the hall (10, 20, or 30 meters). NOTE: This parameter actually changes the algorithm so you'll hear a small bump when changing it. Therefore, we don't recommend assigning Room Size to snapshots or other controllers
  • Diffusion—Sets the amount of smearing between discrete echoes, sometimes resulting in a softer effected signal
  • Damping—Determines the frequency above which the reverb will be absorbed. For example, if your hall is full of people wearing fake ocelot jumpsuits, more high frequencies would be absorbed than if the room were empty
  • Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
  • Motion—Sets the amount of randomization, which can be helpful to minimize any metallic artifacts common in static reverbs. At higher values, can impart a bit of modulation to the effected signal
  • Low Freq—Sets the frequency below which the Low Gain parameter is applied
  • Low Gain—Sets the reverb time for frequencies below the Low Freq value. Values below 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay faster than the treble frequencies; values above 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay slower than the treble frequencies
  • Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
  • High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
  • Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
  • Trails—When on, reverb decay continues to ring out after the block is bypassed
• Reverb > Hot Springs (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original spring reverb
  • Dwell—Adjusts the strength of the signal sent into the spring tank. Higher values result in a longer decay
  • Spring Count—Sets how many springs are in the tank (1, 2, or 3, and numerous values in between)
  • Drip—Adjusts the intensity of the spring reverb, or how much "ploink" you might hear
  • Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
  • High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
  • Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
  • Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
  • Trails—When on, reverb decay continues to ring out after the block is bypassed

*NOTE: All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or affiliated with them. These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

 

New Features in 3.10

Increased Oversampling Throughout

 

Oversampling has been increased across the board, resulting in higher fidelity, fewer aliasing artifacts, and smoother decay trails, especially when running multiple distortion stages or with higher gain tones. Many people might not notice a difference, but those highly sensitive to aliasing will appreciate 3.10's smoother response. Amp and effects models have been optimized to accommodate these improvements without increasing DSP usage.

 

Customizable Stomp Switches

 

As long as something is assigned to a stomp switch (bypass one or more blocks, toggle parameter Min/Max, or Command Center command), switches in Stomp Footswitch Mode can now have custom labels and colors. This is especially helpful when multiple blocks, controls, or commands are assigned to the same switch.

1. Touch a stomp mode footswitch to select it and from either the Bypass Assign or Command Center menu, press PAGE> and then Customize.
2. Use the Upper Knob and Knob 2 (Character) to name the stomp.
3. Press PAGE> and turn Knob 3 (Switch LED) to choose a custom color. When set to "Auto" (the default), the switch reflects its assignment (Delays are green, Filters are purple, Commands are white, etc.)
4. When finished, press <PAGE and Knob 3 (OK).

 

Customizable Snapshot Switches

Switches in Snapshot Footswitch Mode can now have custom labels and colors.

1. From Play View, press the Upper Knob to open the Preset List.
2. Turn Knob 2 (Snapshot) to select the snapshot you want to rename and press ACTION.
3. Press Rename Snapshot.
4. Use the Upper Knob and Knob 2 (Character) to name the stomp.
5. Press PAGE> and turn Knob 3 (Switch LED) to choose a custom color. When set to "Auto" (the default), the switch is white
6. When finished, press <PAGE and Knob 3 (OK).

 

Tuner Trails

 

Don't sleep on this one: The Tuner screen has a new "Trails" parameter. When set to "On," delay repeats and reverbs' decay continue to ring out and even the Looper keeps running when the tuner is engaged. No more awkward "everyone's staring at me because my B string went wonky."

 

Expanded 3.0 Models

 

3.0 added a boatload of new creative effects and after collecting feedback from users, we've added new parameters to some of them to help expand their flexibility and fun factor. IMPORTANT! These new parameters won't show up in your existing presets; they'll only appear if you remove the block (or change the model and reload it). Also, if you've saved any of the following models' defaults, they will need to be re-tweaked and saved again.

• Delay > Poly Sustain
  • Auto EQ— Determines how much compensation EQ is applied to the sustained signal. If the sustained signal sounds too harsh when pitched up (or dull when pitched down), adjust this setting to taste. The higher the value, the more EQ is applied at the shift end points; when set to 0.0, no compensation EQ is applied
  • Operation—Determines what happens to your signal when Poly Sustain is turned on (remember, it's bypassed by default)
    • "Mute All"—When Poly Sustain is on, THE ENTIRE PATH IS MUTED
    • "Dry Kill"—When Poly Sustain is on, only the sustained signal is heard. TIP: With Poly Sustain on a parallel path, assign a second stomp switch to toggle between Mute All and Dry Kill. This lets you leave the block enabled and bring the sustained signal in and out by switching between the two values
    • "Normal" (default)—When Poly Sustain is on, both the dry and sustained signals are heard. This is how Poly Sustain behaved in Firmware 3.0; that is, you're able to jam on top of the sustained drone
• Delay > Glitch Delay
  • Pitch—Determines the likelihood of repeats changing pitch, based on the new Interval 1 and Interval 2 settings (In 3.0, the repeats were fixed to an octave below and above). Was called "Octaves" in 3.0
  • Interval 1—Sets the pitch of some repeats, the likelihood of which is determined by the Pitch parameter (from an octave down to an octave up)
  • Interval 2—Sets the pitch of other repeats, the likelihood of which is determined by the Pitch parameter (from an octave down to an octave up)
  • Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the slices, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
  • High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the slices, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
  • Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
• Looper > Shuffling Looper
  • Pitch—Determines the likelihood of your slices changing pitch, based on the new Interval 1 and Interval 2 settings (In 3.0, the repeats were fixed to an octave below and above). Was called "Octaves" in 3.0
  • Interval 1—Sets the pitch of some slices, the likelihood of which is determined by the Pitch parameter (from an octave down to an octave up)
  • Interval 2—Sets the pitch of other slices, the likelihood of which is determined by the Pitch parameter (from an octave down to an octave up)
• Pitch/Synth > 12 String
  • PluckType—Optimizes the 12 String emulation for specific types of playing styles. We've also improved the onset detection and 12 String now uses less DSP

 

Instant Command Wait Time

On the Command Center page, Instant commands (lightning bolt icon) have a new "Wait Time" parameter, letting you delay certain events by up to 1000ms. This is to help Helix/HX control older MIDI gear that may behave incorrectly when receiving multiple commands very close together. Unless you specifically need to delay a message, leave this set to "0 ms."

 

New and Improved MIDI Implementation

• MIDI Snapshot changes on CC69 that are received during preset loads will now be buffered and executed once the preset load is finished. This means that you can send a MIDI Snapshot change immediately after a PC message to effectively load a preset with a different Snapshot than it was saved with
• Bank/Preset/Snapshot Up and Down messages how properly work via incoming FS1/FS7 emulation MIDI messages
• FS1/2/3 emulation MIDI messages can now be momentary for HX Stomp (values 64-127 = press; values 0-63 = release)
• Stomp switch emulation MIDI messages now work while in preset or snapshot footswitch mode
• New MIDI message (Helix Floor/Rack/LT/HX Stomp XL): CC71 engages the MODE switch
• New MIDI message: CC 72 value 64-127 = next preset, value 0-63 = previous preset
• New MIDI message (Helix LT, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL): CC 73 toggles between Play and Edit views

 

 

 

 

[Presonid]

Helix/HX 3.15 (released February 8, 2022) includes a new Line 6 original amp, 10 new Helix effects, 18 additional Legacy effects, new features, additional improvements, and bug fixes

 

 

New Amp in 3.15

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

 

Amp/Preamp > Line 6 Ventoux, Line 6 Original.

"The amp model name is Ventoux, which is a mountain in the south of France that is a legendary cycling climb. I did it in 2018 and it was awesome and very hard.

 

This model comes from a physical amp idea I had a while back. I was going to build it as a tube amp first. There are only so many hours in a day, though. The idea was to create a “coveted boutique amp” that had a different origin story. Most coveted boutique amps come from modified black panel Fenders or modified Marshall circuits. I wanted to do the same thing, but base it on the early 70s Orange circuits and the mid-wattage Fender Tweed circuits.

 

Ventoux has a unique topology. In an indirect way, every knob is kind of a gain/drive control. The tone controls adjust the character and/or amount of the overdrive in those frequencies. This might be seen as complicated by some, but I find it exciting and full of possibilities."

 

—Ben Adrian, Sound Design Manager

• Drive—Controls the amount of amp drive
• HP Filter—Higher values result in tighter distortions and thinner cleans; lower values result in looser distortions and warmer cleans
• Mid—Allows for more character than most. At lower values it's like the scooped sounds of traditional 60s Fender amps; at higher values it's flatter, like the 50s tweed amps that have very little tone-shaping in the circuits. Plus, a full-up mid sound will get a nice crunch when Drive is up
• Presence/Depth—You may have noticed this amp was lacking regular bass and treble controls. That is accounted for with Depth and Presence controls; bass and treble for the power amp. These actually occur in the circuit just before phase inverter, but they really need the whole power amp to function. They also affect the character of the power amp distortion
• Ch Vol—Sets the overall level of the Amp block
• Master—Ventoux's Master volume exists in an "impossible" place for a physical amp. Generally, you'll want to leave this at 10.0, like a vintage amp with no master volume. However, a variety of textures can be had by reducing the level

 

New Helix Effects in 3.15

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

 

Dynamics > Ampeg Opto Comp (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Ampeg Opto Comp compressor pedal.

• Compress—Controls how much level the compressor detector circuit receives. More level = more compression. (Ampeg Opto Comp has a fixed threshold and ratio)
• Release—Controls how long it takes for the compressor to stop reducing gain. At 0.0, the release is 75 ms; at 10.0, the release is around 600 ms
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the compressor. When set to 0%, no compressed signal is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
• Level—Sets the overall level of the block

 

Modulation > Ampeg Liquifier (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Ampeg Liquifier chorus pedal.

• Rate—Adjusts the speed of the chorus’ low-frequency oscillator (LFO) from slow to fast
• Depth—Adjusts the amplitude of the modulation, from mild to deep
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the chorus. When set to 0%, no chorus is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
• Type—Liquifier is actually two choruses in one, hence the "Dual" default. If you'd prefer it to behave more like a traditional chorus pedal, choose "Single"
• Headroom—Some mod pedals' internal signal paths exhibit a bit of grit, especially when placed after a high-gain amp block. Negative values increase the perceived amount of grit; positive values clean things up a bit. At 0dB, the model behaves like the original pedal
• Level—Sets the overall level of the block

 

Delay > Heliosphere (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original delay with reverb injected into the feedback loop.

• Time—Sets the delay time. Press the knob to toggle between ms/Sec and note values
• Feedback—Controls the overall number of repeats. To hear only one repeat, set to 0%
• Rate—Controls the rate or speed of modulation
• Depth—Controls the depth or amount of modulation
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the delay. When set to 0%, no delay is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
• Level—Sets the overall level of the block
• Scale—For stereo delays, the Time parameter sets the left side. The right side's time is always some percentage of the left's time, and is determined by the Scale parameter. For example, if Time is set to 500ms, and Scale is set to 70%, the left delay is 500ms and the right delay is 350ms (or 70% of 500ms). When scale is set to 100%, left and right delays are the same
• Rev Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb inside the delay's feedback loop. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard
• Rev Decay—Sets the decay of the reverb
• Headroom—Some delay pedals' internal signal paths exhibit a bit of grit, especially when placed after a high-gain amp block. Negative values increase the perceived amount of grit; positive values clean things up a bit. 
• Trails—When set to "Off," delay repeats are instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," delay repeats continue to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected

 

Delay > ADT (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original double-tracking tape emulation.

• Delay 1, Delay 2—Sets the delay time for each deck. Delay 1 can go up to 20ms and Delay 2 can go up to 200ms
• WowFlutr1, WowFlutr2—Determines how much warbly tape sound is heard for each deck
• Saturate1, Saturate2— Adds analog tape saturation and at high enough settings, distortion. At lower settings, it's great for simply warming up a tone
• Deck 1 Vol, Deck 2 Vol—Sets the level of each deck independently. Deck 2 is a bit lower than Deck 1 by default
• Deck 2 Pol—Flips the polarity of deck 2
• Mod Rate—Controls the rate or speed of modulation applied to Deck 2
• Mod Depth—Controls the depth or amount of modulation applied to Deck 2
• Level—Sets the overall level of the block
• TapeSpeed—Changes both the rate of the modulation applied by the WowFluttr control and the filtering response of the analog tape emulation
• Texture— Adjusts the amount of the NAB tape EQ in the simulated tape path. When Saturation is set to 0.0, the texture is invisible. When Saturation is turned up, the texture will affect the tightness (or looseness) of the distortion
• Low Cut—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the decks, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
• High Cut—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the decks, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
• Deck 1 Pan, Deck 2 Pan—Pans each deck left and right
• EnvThresh—Sets the level above which engages the envelope. When on, picking harder can impart very slight pitch fluctuations by tweaking Deck 2's delay. Subtle, but fun
• Trails—When set to "Off," delay repeats are instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," delay repeats continue to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected

 

Delay > Crisscross (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original dual delay with cross-feedback between the two delay lines.

• Time A, Time B—Sets the delay time for each of the two delay lines. Press the knob to toggle between ms/Sec and note values
• Feedbk A, Feedback B—Controls the number of repeats for each delay line. To hear only one repeat, set to 0%
• Pan A, Pan B—To achieve the widest stereo field, set Pan A to L100 and Pan B to R100
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the delay. When set to 0%, no delay is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
• Level—Sets the overall level of the block
• Crossfeed—Controls the amount of the A delay line fed back into the B delay line and vice versa
• Headroom—Some delay pedals' internal signal paths exhibit a bit of grit, especially when placed after a high-gain amp block. Negative values increase the perceived amount of grit; positive values clean things up a bit. 
• Mod Rate—Controls the rate or speed of modulation
• Mod Depth—Controls the depth or amount of modulation
• Shape—Sets the modulation's wave shape (Sine or Triangle)
• Phase—Determines the modulation's phase relationship between the two delay lines. At 0°, the delay lines modulate together; at 180°, modulation is inverted from one another
• Bit Depth—Lowers the bit depth of the delay repeats for a grungier sound. For more transparent results, set to "24 bits"
• Sample Rate—Lowers the sample rate of the delay repeats for a grungier sound. For more transparent results, set to "48kHz"
• Low Cut—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the repeats, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
• High Cut—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the repeats, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
• Trails—When set to "Off," delay repeats are instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," delay repeats continue to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected

 

Delay > Tesselator (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original. Tesselator is part morphing delay, part loop sampler, part drone machine... it's stellar for creating rhythmic pads, textures, or pitch/filter ramp effects to play over and has been placed in the Delay category so you can run multiple instances at once. Once audio is captured and repeating, you can effectively transition/morph between two states—First and Last, each with its own time, speed/pitch, HP filter, and LP filter—by applying increasing amounts to each repeat until the target settings are reached.

1. Assign Tesselator to a stomp footswitch. It's bypassed by default.
2. Play a chord and while it's ringing, press the Tesselator switch. Audio captured BEFORE the switch press is repeated and manipulated by the following parameters:

• First—Determines the length of the first step in the sequence, that is, the length of repeated audio when first engaged. Press the knob to toggle between ms and note values
• Last—Determines the length of the last step in the sequence. If shorter than the First step's time, the sequence will get shorter; if longer than the First step's time, the sequence will get longer. If First and Last are the same time, the sequence length remains constant (Ex. 1 below). Press the knob to toggle between ms and note values
• Steps—Determines how many steps there are in the sequence (1 ~ 50). For example, if your first step is 100ms and your last step is 500ms, each successive step in the sequence will lengthen from 100ms to 500ms. The more steps you have, the longer it takes to reach the last step and therefore, the longer it takes to alter the sequence's characteristics
• Direction—Determines the direction of the steps:
  • Forward: Each step plays back normally (Ex. 2a below)
  • Reverse: Each step plays back in reverse (Ex. 2b below)
  • Fwd/Rev: Steps alternate between forward and reverse (Ex. 2c below)
• Boomerang—When off, the last step in the sequence repeats indefinitely. When on, all steps play forward, then backward, then forward again, etc. (Ex. 3a below)
• Operation—Determines what happens to your signal when Tesselator is turned on (remember, it's bypassed by default)
  • "Mute All"—When Tesselator is on, THE ENTIRE PATH IS MUTED
  • "Dry Kill"—When Tesselator is on, only the effected signal is heard. TIP: With Tesselator on a parallel path, assign a second stomp switch to toggle between Mute All and Dry Kill. This lets you leave the block enabled and bring the effected signal in and out by switching between the two values
  • "Normal" (default)—When Tesselator is on, both the dry and effected signals are heard
• Ramp—Determines whether any speed/pitch changes across the sequence reference a static or semitone value
  • "Speed" (default)—Sets the target speed of the last step. Use the Speed parameter to set the specific value (0% ~ 200% speed)
  • "Pitch"—Sets the target pitch of the last step. Use the Pitch parameter to set the value (-12 ~ +12 semitones; see Ex. 3c below)
• Speed—Sets the target speed for the last step. For example, if set to "200%," the last step's pitch will be twice as high as the first step and if set to "0%," the last step will appear to stop completely, almost like a glitchy tape stop effect. Disabled unless Ramp is set to "Speed"
• Pitch—Sets the target pitch for the last step. For example, if set to "-12", the last step will be an octave lower than the first step. Disabled unless Ramp is set to "Pitch" (see Ex. 3c below)
• HP Filter—Very different from Helix's traditional Low Cut and High Cut filters. Sets the high-pass (low cut) filter target for the last step. For example, if set to a higher value, each successive step will filter out more bass until the last step of the sequence
• LP Filter—Very different from Helix's traditional Low Cut and High Cut filters. Sets the low-pass (high cut) filter target for the last step. For example, if set to a lower value, each successive step will filter out more treble until the last step of the sequence (Ex. 3b below)
• FX Level—Controls the level of the effected signal
• Level—Controls the overall output level of the block

Woohoo! More charts and diagrams!

Tesselator is capable of hundreds of unique sounds, and it's impossible to illustrate them all, but here are a few examples:

Example 1: If Knob 1 (First) and Knob 2 (Last) are set to the same value (say, 1/4 note), the same length of audio repeats until Tesselator is bypassed. In this case, it acts very much like Delay > Ratchet, except the audio is captured BEFORE the stomp press, not after.

Example 2: If Knob 2 (Last) is set to a shorter time than Knob 1 (First), steps in the sequence progressively get shorter (Ex. 2a). If Last is set to a longer time than First, steps in the sequence progressively get longer. The last step is repeated indefinitely until Tesselator is bypassed. Setting Direction to "Reverse" (Ex. 2b) reverses all steps; setting Direction to "Fwd/Rev" (Ex. 2c) alternates between forward and reversed steps.

Example 3: Turning Boomerang to "On" plays the entire step sequence forward, then backward, then forward again, etc. (Ex. 3a) Decreasing LP Filter to a lower value progressively darkens each step in the sequence (Ex. 3b). Increasing HP Filter to a higher value progressively thins out each step in the sequence. Setting Ramp to "Pitch" and Pitch to a value other than "0" will change the pitch of each step until it lands on the target pitch at the last step. For example, if Pitch is set to "+5" and you play an E note, the last note in the sequence will be an A, or 5 steps higher (Ex. 3c). If you want the last A note to repeat indefinitely instead of stepping back down to E, turn Boomerang back to "Off."

TIP: You can change all of these parameters while Tesselator is... tessellating, to create evolving, engaging soundscapes. Run it into Pitch > Dual Pitch and Reverb > Shimmer and prepare to waste hours in drone land.

 

 

Delay > Ratchet (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original buffer sampler/delay. Used to capture and loop a short snippet of audio (whose length is determined by the Time parameter) while the block is enabled. Great for rhythmic stutter effects. You could almost consider Ratchet a simplified version of Tesselator, where the audio is captured AFTER the footswitch press, not before.

1. Assign Ratchet to a stomp footswitch. It's bypassed by default.
2. While playing, press the Ratchet switch. Audio captured AFTER the switch press is repeated for as long as the block is enabled. For this reason, it may be best to make the switch momentary, and only step on the Ratchet switch when you change chords, almost like a rhythmic sustain pedal.

• FX Level—Controls the level of the looped audio
• Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
• Time—Predetermines the length of the audio to be recorded and looped. To loop an entire 4/4 bar, choose "1/1"; to stutter your playing, start with "1/16" or "1/32"
• Operation—Determines what happens to your signal when Ratchet is turned on (remember, it's bypassed by default)
  • "Mute All"—When Ratchet is on, THE ENTIRE PATH IS MUTED
  • "Dry Kill"—When Ratchet is on, only the effected signal is heard. TIP: With Ratchet on a parallel path, assign a second stomp switch to toggle between Mute All and Dry Kill. This lets you leave the block enabled and bring the effected signal in and out by switching between the two values
  • "Normal" (default)—When Ratchet is on, both the dry and effected signals are heard

 

Reverb > Dynamic Plate (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original plate reverb typically found in high-end studio rack reverbs.

• Decay—Sets the decay of the reverb (0.1 sec ~ 45.0 sec, or Infinity)
• Predelay—Determines the amount of delay heard before the signal enters the plate. Can sometimes result in more definition between the dry and effected signals
• Damping—Determines the frequency above which the reverb will be absorbed. For example, if your hall is full of people wearing fake ocelot jumpsuits, more high frequencies would be absorbed than if the room were empty
• Mot Rate—Motion Rate, or how fast the echoes' intensity changes, due to changes in plate tension or temperature
• MotRange—Motion Range, or how much the internal delays change. Similar to the modulation control on older tank reverbs
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
• Low Freq—Sets the frequency below which the Low Gain parameter is applied
• Low Gain—Sets the reverb time for frequencies below the Low Freq value. Values below 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay faster than the treble frequencies; values above 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay slower than the treble frequencies
• Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
• High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
• Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
• Trails—When set to "Off," the reverb decay is instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," the reverb continues to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected

 

Reverb > Dynamic Room (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original room reverb typically found in high-end studio rack reverbs.

• Decay—Sets the decay of the reverb (0.1 sec ~ 3.0 sec)
• Predelay—Determines the amount of delay heard before the signal enters the room. Can sometimes result in more definition between the dry and effected signals
• Damping—Determines the frequency above which the reverb will be absorbed. For example, if your room is full of people wearing foam high school mascot costumes, more high frequencies would be absorbed than if the room were empty
• Diffusion—Sets the amount of smearing between discrete echoes, sometimes resulting in a softer effected signal
• Mot Rate—Motion Rate, or how quickly the room's shape may be changing, due to people moving, doors opening or closing, etc.
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
• Low Freq—Sets the frequency below which the Low Gain parameter is applied
• Low Gain—Sets the reverb time for frequencies below the Low Freq value. Values below 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay faster than the treble frequencies; values above 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay slower than the treble frequencies
• Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
• High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
• EarlyReflc—Sets the amount of early reflective room sound
• Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
• Trails—When set to "Off," the reverb decay is instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," the reverb continues to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected

 

Reverb > Shimmer (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original shimmer reverb. We originally planned to release Shimmer as two distinctly different reverbs—Luster and Sheen—but combining them into a single model and letting you seamlessly switch back and forth via a footswitch or snapshots seemed cooler.

• Type—Determines the type of shimmer effect applied. TIP: Assign Type to a footswitch (or snapshots) to try both within the same preset
  • "Luster"—More of a traditional, reverb pedal-type shimmer effect with tighter definition in the lustery bits
  • "Sheen" (default)—More of a lush, studio plugin-type shimmer effect with a massive, sheeny bloom
• Pitch 1—Sets the interval of the first pitchshifter. Set to "Oct Up" for more traditional shimmer sounds; set to "Oct Down" for something a bit creepier. Note that Pitch 1 and Pitch 2 have 0.1 semitone resolution between -1and +1
• Pitch 2—Sets the interval of the second pitchshifter
• Intensity—Controls the mix between the pitchshifted and non-pitchshifted reverb
• Feedback—Controls the number of times the pitchshifting recirculates through the reverb
• Pitch Blend—Controls how much of Pitch 1 is heard vs. Pitch 2 (set to "Even" by default)
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
• Decay—Sets the decay of the reverb (0.1 sec ~ 45.0 sec or Infinity)
• Predelay—Determines the amount of delay heard before the signal enters the room. Can sometimes result in more definition between the dry and effected signals
• Room Size—Sets the size of the room (10, 20, or 30 meters)
• Damping—Determines the frequency above which the reverb will be absorbed
• Diffusion—Sets the amount of smearing between discrete echoes, sometimes resulting in a softer effected signal
• Motion—Sets the amount of randomization, which can be helpful to minimize any metallic artifacts common in static reverbs. At higher values, can impart a bit of modulation to the effected signal
• Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
• High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
• Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
• Trails—When set to "Off," the reverb decay is instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," the reverb continues to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected

*NOTE: All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or affiliated with them. These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

 

New Legacy Effects in 3.15

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

18 additional effects—most from the FX Junkie model pack for POD Farm 2.5—have been added to the Legacy subcategory in their respective effects categories. Don't sleep on these!

 

• Distortion > Bronze Master (Legacy), based on* the Maestro® Bass Brassmaster. Originally designed for bass, but equally cool on guitar, the Maestro® Bass Brassmaster is considered by many to be the Holy Grail of bass distortion units, an ultra-rare bird designed in the early 70’s for Maestro® by synth genius Tom Oberheim. NOTE: The Blend parameter is not like overall distortion Mix; instead, it sets how much of the filtered signal passes through the clipping/octave circuitry
• Distortion > Killer Z (Legacy), based on* the BOSS® Metal Zone MT-2. Equipped with a dual gain circuit, the MT-2 provides amazing sustain plus heavy mids and lows similar to a stack of overdriven amps. We’ve simplified the EQ controls a bit to make the Killer Z model, but you’ll still find the sought after flavor of the MT-2 style sound

 

• Modulation > Tape Eater (Legacy), Line 6 Original. If you’ve ever had a cassette player eat a tape before you’ll know what we’re talking about. Try this with a slow speed setting and a 100% wet mix
• Modulation > Warble-Matic (Legacy), Line 6 Original. This effect is reminiscent of the Sweeper model, but when used subtly it can produce a nice mild phasey sound or with Depth maxed out you can simulate the sound of an alien spacecraft landing in one of those old 50’s sci-fi movies
• Modulation > Random S&H (Legacy), Line 6 Original. This has a similar effect as the old Oberheim® Voltage Controlled Filter. It creates changes in tone by randomly emphasizing certain frequencies. Try pressing the Speed knob to lock it to tempo and playing single chords to that tempo
• Modulation > Sweeper (Legacy), Line 6 Original. Imagine having 2 wah pedals on steroids separated in a stereo field that are pulsating in opposite positions and you’re close to what you’ll hear here. Use the Q and Freq parameters to set the character of the sweep and adjust Depth to go from subtle to full on freak out. Any resemblance to guitar tracks heard in a particular genre of B films is strictly coincidental

 

• Delay > Phaze Eko (Legacy), Line 6 Original. Starting with the basic tone of our EP-1 tape delay emulation, they’ve added something very much like a Uni-Vibe to the delay repeats. The result is an echo unit that gives you unique new creative possibilities for adjusting the tone of your delays with a beautiful, burbling texture
• Delay > Bubble Echo (Legacy), Line 6 Original. Bubble Echo has a sample-and-hold filter on the repeats. It takes a filter sweep (like the one on Sweep Echo), chops it up into little bits, and rearranges them semi-randomly, so that it sounds like sudden little bits of wah pedal randomly sprinkled about

 

• Pitch/Synth > Synth Lead (Legacy), Line 6 Original. These are styled after popular analog monophonic synth lead sounds from Moog, ARP and Sequential Circuits
• Pitch/Synth > String Theory (Legacy), Line 6 Original. This emulates classic synth string sounds like those found in the ARP Solina String Ensemble and the Elka® Synthex. The harder you pick, the brighter the sound. We somehow had two separate effects called "Synth String"—one from POD Farm 2.5 and the other from FM4, which was already added to Helix/HX in 1.50. Renamed the POD Farm version "String Theory" to avoid confusion
• Pitch/Synth > Synth FX (Legacy), Line 6 Original. These sounds aren’t really designed to be musical. These are more “special effects” sounds. You’ll hear a lot of these kinds of sounds in movie soundtracks
• Pitch/Synth > Buzz Wave (Legacy), Line 6 Original. These are cool combinations of saw and square waves with fast vibrato. The 8 different Wave parameters offer different vibrato speeds and different pitches
• Pitch/Synth > Rez Synth (Legacy), Line 6 Original. These are all sweeping low pass filter effects with the resonance set high. Resonance is a peak at the frequency of the low pass filter
• Pitch/Synth > Saturn 5 Ring Mod (Legacy), Line 6 Original. Ring modulators take two signals (one supplied by your guitar, the other supplied by the effect) then adds and subtracts similar frequencies. Electro-Harmonix® makes a ring modulator pedal called the Frequency Analyzer that is a popular guitar effect. The only limiting factor is that the pitch of the signal provided by the effect is constant. Meaning you have to play only in the key of that pitch to be musical
• Pitch/Synth > Double Bass (Legacy), Line 6 Original. This effect has two oscillators that track the pitch of your guitar—one square wave tuned one octave down, and one saw tooth wave two octaves down
• Pitch/Synth > Seismik Synth (Legacy), Line 6 Original. This effect has an oscillator that tracks the pitch of your guitar. You can choose between 8 different wave shapes which give you different “flavors”—all of them one or two octaves down from the original pitch
• Pitch/Synth > Analog Synth (Legacy), Line 6 Original. These are great for funky synth guitar (or bass) lines. These sounds were made popular by Moog and ARP
• Pitch/Synth > Synth Harmony (Legacy), Line 6 Original. If you loved those big synth leads from 70’s era prog bands then you’ll love this effect. There are two synth waves at work here. Your first two parameters allow you to choose a pitch interval of your original note played. The Wave parameter works differently from what you’d expect with the other synth models; here it controls the gain of the saw wave, while the square wave gain remains constant

 

New Features in 3.15

Apple Silicon Support

Helix Native

The Helix Native VST/AU/AAX plug-in now natively supports M1 and newer Apple computers without Rosetta. NOTE: HX Edit software has worked with M1 Macs from day one.

 

Input Block > Per-Preset Guitar Pad

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

The Input > Multi and Input > Guitar block now has an additional Guitar Pad parameter that lets you engage the analog guitar pad per preset ("Off" or "On). Or you could leave it set to "Global" and continue to turn the guitar pad on and off from the Global Settings menu. NOTE: For HX Stomp and HX Stomp XL, "Global" refers to the Global Settings > Ins/Outs > Input Level setting. When Pad is on, it's the same as if Input Level is set to "Line"; when off, it's the same as if Input Level is set to "Inst[rument]."

 

Per-Snapshot Command Center > HX Snpsht Values

Command Center > HX Snapshot command parameters can now be controlled by Snapshots themselves. For example, imagine that you are on Snapshot 1 and create an HX Snapshot command on FS2. You set it so that pressing that switch recalls Snapshot 3. You then switch to Snapshot 3 and set the same switch to recall Snapshot 6. Recall Snapshot 6 and set the switch to recall Snapshot 2. Finally, you recall Snapshot 2 and set the switch to recall Snapshot 1. Now, you go back to Snapshot 1 and begin pressing the switch. Each successive press recalls the assigned Snapshot and you would cycle Snapshot  1 > 3 > 6 > 2 > 1 > 3 > 6 > 2 and so on for each switch press. NOTE: this assumes that the Snapshot Edits global is set to Recall. If it's set to Discard, you'd have to save the preset after each set in order for the changes to stick

 

Global MIDI Control of Knobs 1-6, <PAGE/PAGE>, and Preset Save

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

Instead of manually having to assign parameters to incoming MIDI CC messages, Knobs 1-6 for any block on the Home screen (Knobs 1-3 on HX Effects, HX Stomp, or HX Stomp XL) respond to new global MIDI CCs. This turns any programmable MIDI keyboard or tabletop controller into a simple way to edit blocks without having to reach down (for those of you who can't be bothered to use Pedal Edit Mode). In addition, sending Helix/HX a CC74 message will save any changes to the preset. IMPORTANT! We ran out of reserved Global CCs and unfortunately had to steal five user-assignable CCs for this feature. Any parameters you've assigned to CC77-CC81 will have to be remapped. Sorry 'bout that.

 

 

Other Changes and Improvements in 3.15

• Bypass Assign > EXP Pedal 1/2 now has a new Behavior parameter to control how bypassing is handled. The default value "Toggle" behaves as this feature always has - bringing the pedal past threshold will toggle the block's bypass state from what it is currently (i.e. enable if currently bypassed and vice versa). "Toe Down" and "Heel Down" always bypass the block at the designated position, regardless of the block's starting state. So with "Heel Down" selected, the block will always enable when you cross the Position threshold and bypass when you return below it

• Encoder ballistics have been improved. For parameters with hundreds of values, you can now go from Min to Max in a couple of turns

• HX Stomp XL only: Global Settings > Footswitches > Snapshot Mode adds a third value—Toggle, like the one in HX Effects and POD Go. This remembers whether Preset Mode is in Preset or Snapshot mode and allows for toggling between Stomp and Snapshot mode via the MODE switch

 

Bug Fixes in 3.15

• Amp/Preamp > Das Benzin Lead channel output was set to -36dB instead of -24dB—FIXED
• Amp/Preamp > Voltage Queen's Master volume only affected one side of the push/pull power amp—FIXED
• Distortion > Ampeg Scrambler's oversampling wasn't fully implemented—FIXED
• IR names with more than 54 characters couldn't be copied or exported from HX Edit
• HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL, HX Effects only: Pressing TAP to reset LFOs now properly works on switch press, not release—FIXED
• HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL only: Some Preamp blocks would display an Amp block icon in the inspector header—FIXED
• HX Stomp XL only: Command Center > HX Snapshot commands assigned to Hold would not function properly on FS1 and FS4—FIXED
• HX Edit only: In rare cases, dragging in an IR from the list to the signal flow could sometimes create a None block instead of an Impulse Response block—FIXED
• HX Edit only: While Spillover is active, dragging a block across path A/B could occasionally fail—FIXED
• HX Edit only: After moving a block with Spillover active, changing a block from mono to stereo could occasionally fail—FIXED
• HX Edit only: While Spillover is active, the bypass state appearance of blocks could occasionally not match that of the hardware—FIXED
• HX Edit only: DSP allocation of poly pitch blocks could occasionally not match that of the hardware—FIXED
• HX Edit only: IRs with names longer than 54 characters couldn't be copied or exported—FIXED
• HX Edit only: When saving a favorite, the Enter key on extended QWERTY keypads was inoperable—FIXED
• HX Edit only: Snapshot-controlled Command Center changes would sometimes not be maintained across copy/paste or preset export/import—FIXED

 

Known Issues in 3.15

• Copy/pasted blocks retain their favorited status after overwriting an existing favorite
• When a snapshot is reloaded, a duplicate PC message is not transmitted, regardless of the Global Settings > MIDI/Tempo > Duplicate PC Send setting
• In some cases, the current Variax tone knob's position may not be recalled across preset changes
• Delay > Ducked Delay's ducking is inactive if DynAttack is maxed out at 2.000s
• When Global Settings > Preferences > Snapshot Edits is set to "Discard," holding FS12 to save changes in Pedal Edit mode does not save snapshot-controlled parameters
• After changing a different delay's Time parameter from ms to note values, selecting Delay > Tesselator causes its Knob 1 parameter label changes from "First" to "Time 1"
• When Delay > Tesselator and Ratchet's Operation is set to "Mute All," the entire path is muted, regardless of whether the block is active or bypassed

[Presonid]

Metallurgy Pack  (March 2022)
Collection of amplifier and effects plugins was created specifically for guitarists contemporary versions of classic and modern metal tones—as well as craft original tones. It bundles the Modern, Thrash, and Doom plugins, . used as VSTwithin any DAW, also function as standalone 

8 speaker cabinets. Two microphones may be selected from a virtual "mic locker" containing eight microphone types, and these may be combined with a stereo room mic array. Up to two third-party impulse responses (IRs) may be substituted for the factory mics. All of the microphones may be positioned in various ways and a 4-band parametric EQ enables the cabinet tone to be sculpted even further.

 

Four effects positioned pre-amplifier and three positioned post-amplifier in the signal chain. A noise gate and a chromatic tuner are also included.
 

• HX technology ensures authentic amp tone and feel
• Photorealistic controls provide familiar operation
• 4 Purpose-curated amplifiers and 8 cabs
• 8 Moveable mics plus stereo room mics
• 4 Pre-amplifier effects, 3 Post-amplifier effects
• 4-Band parametric EQ, noise gate, chromatic tuner
• Polyphonic pitch-shifting

Metallurgy: Doom

four amplifier types.

The MOO)))N is based on* the classic 1970s Sunn Model

 

T. Mandarin Rocker is based on* the Orange Rockerverb 100 MkII amplifier.

 

Mail Order Twin is based on* the Silvertone 1484 amplifier.

 

Line 6 Doom is an original amplifier created by the Line 6 sound design team.

 

Effect types include several differing fuzz pedals that can be layered and combined with the high-headroom amps to produce massive waves of sustain and feedback, a chewy phaser, fat analog delay, ADT (Automatic Double Tracking) for further tone fattening, parametric EQ, spring reverb (Mail Order Twin only), and optical tremolo (Mail Order Twin only)—

 

The Metallurgy: Doom plugin churns out gloomy tones that emphasize the low-end frequencies ideal for the girthy riffs and gargantuan drones favored by doom guitarists. 

Moo)))n amp  :  Sunn model T    

Classic 1970s Sunn Model

 tube t is 3 x 12AX7 (pre-amp) and 4 x 6550 (power amp).

 

This thing has headroom that reaches the peaks of mountains, even at bedroom volumes. For better or worse though, the signature Model T tone of this first generation comes from the power section, so be prepared to crank it all the way, and drive it with some hot humbuckers. Otherwise, add a Rat or fuzz pedal of your choice for lower volume performance.

 

 

 sounds from  doom guitarists’ recordings: Wino’s blazing “Obsessed“ tone; Stephen O’Malley’s vicious strains in Burning Witch, Khanate, and Thorr’s Hammer; Greg Anderson’s Goatsnake wails; just to name a few examples, and omit the obvious [Sunn O)))]. I find the sound of the Model T far superior for doom than the comparable Orange/Matamp heads, and it has application beyond just doom metal too. 

 

The Sunn Sound is legendary for its warm clean tones - and incredible ballsey, phat, searing distortion (with the preamp cranked all the way up).  It has Normal and Brite inputs with separate preamp levels, and a Master for overall volume.  The unusual linear-taper controls give you much finer adjustment of the distortion characteristics - color it the way you want it.

 

This thing COMMUNICATES what you're playing with transparent tube purity.  No grey-sounding, generic, me-too digital effects - just a simple signal path allowing more pick dynamics, and effective changes from the volume knob on your guitar.  When you give it drive...  you get DRIVE...  Almost like channel switching from the guitar !

When you plug in a Strat, it sings like a Strat - a Tele rings like a Tele - a Les Paul soars like a Les Paul...  and your axe will sound like it should !

Poseurs beware...  there's nowhere to hide.
What you Play - is What You GET !!

 

Hey...  But I Play BASS !!!

 

So forget that SVT...  This may be the Ultimate Bass Amp too.  A Killer...  rated at 150 watts, it feels waaaay more powerful.  We're talking prodigous, BIG Bottom Tube Power here...  no Girlie-Man, solid state Clip-n-Die 20-lb. Silicon Sissy.

The Model T can give you a huge CLEAN BASS tone at deafening levels...   

 

Metallurgy: Modern

 modern metal and progressive metal tones—as well as craft original tones of their own. 

4 amplifier types:

 

The Vitriol is based on* the Peavey Invective amplifier and includes Crunch and Lead voicings.

 

 high-gain amplifier to deliver pristine cleans, 

high-gain performance of the legendary Peavey 6505 series, then adds a level of versatility that is unprecedented in an amp within this class. Designed in collaboration with Misha Mansoor of Periphery, the invective.120 features three channels which each deliver a distinctive sonic-range, as well as a long list of controls which allow you to dial in that perfect tone.

 from the most extreme high gain metal, to a flawless classic rock tone, to a deep clean jazz tone - it's all there, and everything in-between!
 with four 6L6GC output tubes  . In order to produce the widest variety of tone, from the cleanest clean to the most extreme high gain, we incorporate 6 of the finest gain matched 12AX7 tubes.

 switchable channels (Clean/Crunch/Lead), giving you a sonic palette that lets your imagination run wild. Both the Lead and Crunch channels have independent Pre and Post Gain controls as well as shared low/mid/high EQ, in line with the revered Peavey 6505 head. They also feature a shared switchable front end boost fast attack input noise gate with a threshold for complete control over muting. Master Resonance, Presence and Volume knobs, and it's ready to rock.

 

The Revv Generator is based on* the Revv Generator 120 MKIII amplifier and includes both the Purple and Red channels.

 

The Line 6 Badonk offers an entirely original take on modern high-gain tone.

 

The Archetype is based on* the PRS Archon amplifier and provides both a high-headroom clean channel and a modern-voiced lead channel.

 

 Effect types include compression, overdrive, delay, chorus, reverb, and polyphonic pitch-shifting—with four effects positioned pre-amplifier and three positioned post-amplifier in the signal chain. 

 

The Metallurgy: Modern plugin focuses on the searing, saturated tones of modern metal and progressive metal, with the midrange emphasis and tight low end favored by extended-range and detuned guitarists. 

 

Metallurgy: Thrash

classic thrash metal tones—as well as craft new tones of their own. 

 

 Thrash plugin features four amplifier types.

 

The Cali IV is based on* the Mesa/Boogie Mark IV (rhythm and lead channels).

 

Placater Dirty is based on* the Friedman BE 100 amplifier.

 

Das Benzin is based on* the Diezel DH4 amplifier (rhythm and lead channels).

 

Rivet Clean is an ultra-clean amplifier based on* the Roland Jazz Chorus 120 that includes dedicated chorus and spring reverb effects.

 

Effect types include several overdrives chosen for their ability to push the front ends of high-gain amps, Throaty wah for edgy leads and "cocked" tones, Vintage Digital delay, ADT (Automatic Double Tracking) for further tone fattening.

 

Thrash plugin focuses on the tight, mid-scooped, hyper-aggressive tones 

 

 

 

[Presonid]

 

Helix/HX 3.50 (released November 3, 2022) includes 24 new cabs running on an all new cab engine, 5 new amps, 7 new effects, new features, additional improvements, and bug fixes

 

significant improvements to Helix Core and thousands of IR files.

 

 

All New Cab Engine/New Cabs in 3.50

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

 

 

Thousands of impulses were captured with Sound Design's all new IR capture system and consolidated into 20 guitar cabs and 4 bass cabs. As such, cab subcategories have been updated:

• Single—One new cab
• Dual—Two new cabs
• Legacy Single—One older Hybrid cab
• Legacy Dual—Two older Hybrid cabs

Amp+Cab subcategories have been updated as well:

• Guitar—Guitar Amp+new cab
• Bass—Bass Amp+new cab
• Guitar+Legacy—Guitar Amp+older Hybrid cab
• Bass+Legacy—Bass Amp+older Hybrid cab

With Cab > Dual blocks, you can now also choose whether changing the first cab automatically recalls a matching cab for the second.

1. From the Global Settings menu, select the Preferences page.
2. Press PAGE> until you see Link Dual Cabs. When set to "On" (default), changing the first cab automatically loads a matching cab for the second. Choose this option if you want to emulate the sound of two different mics (or two of the same mic with different angles or positions) on the same cab. When set to "Off," both cabs are completely independent of one another.
3. Alternatively, in HX Edit (and Helix Native), click the Link Dual Cabs icon. Off (left) and On (right):

 

New Guitar Cabs

 

Cab > 1x10 US Princess (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1x10" Fender Princeton Eminence Copperhead

Cab > 1x12 Grammatico (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1x12" Grammatico LaGrange P12Q

Cab > 1x12 US Deluxe (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1×12″ Fender® Deluxe Oxford

Cab > 1x12 Cali EXT (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1x12" Mesa Boogie Extension Cab

Cab > 2x12 Blue Bell (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×12″ Vox® AC-30 Fawn Blue

Cab > 2x12 Double C12N (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×12″ Fender Twin C12N

Cab > 2x12 Jazz Rivet (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×12″ Roland® JC-120

Cab > 2x12 Mail C12Q (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×12″ Silvertone® 1484

Cab > 2x12 Mandarin 30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2x12" Orange PPC212 V30

Cab > 4x10 Tweed P10R (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×10″ Fender Bassman® P10R

Cab > 4x12 Greenback25 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Marshall® Basketweave G12 M25

Cab > 4x12 1960A T75 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Marshall 1960A T75

Cab > 4x12 Blackback 30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Park® 75 G12 H30

Cab > 4x12 Brit V30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Marshall® 1960AV V30

Cab > 4x12 Cali V30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ MESA/Boogie® 4FB V30

Cab > 4x12 Mandarin EM (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Orange Eminence

Cab > 4x12 MOO)))N T75 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4x12" Sunn Cab w/G75T

Cab > 4x12 Uber T75 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Bogner® Uberkab T75

Cab > 4x12 Uber V30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Bogner Uberkab V30

Cab > 4x12 XXL V30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ ENGL® XXL V30

• Mic—Select from up to 12 mics:
  • 57 Dynamic—Shure® SM57
  • 421 Dynamic—Sennheiser® MD 421-U
  • 7 Dynamic—Shure SM7
  • 906 Dynamic—Sennheiser e906
  • 30 Dynamic—Heil Sound® PR 30
  • 121 Ribbon—Royer® R-121
  • 160 Ribbon—Beyerdynamic® M 160
  • 4038 Ribbon—Coles 4038
  • 84 Ribbon—AEA R84
  • 414 Cond—AKG® C414 XLS
  • 47 Cond FET—Neumann® U47 FET
  • 67 Cond—Neumann U67
• Position—Sets the lateral location of the mic in relation to the speaker cone. Choose from Center ~ Cap Edge ~ Edge. Cap Edge may appear in a different location depending on the selected cab
• Distance—Sets the distance of the mic from the speaker cone. Choose from 1.00" to 12.00" in 1/4" increments
• Angle—Sets the angle of the mic. 0 degrees is pointing directly at the speaker, 45 degrees is pointing off-axis
• Low Cut—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter, letting you remove all audio below a certain frequency. May be useful in removing undesirable low end rumble
• High Cut—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter, letting you remove all audio above a certain frequency. May be useful in removing high end harshness
• Level—Sets the overall level of the cab
• Pan (Dual only)—Moves the signal left or right across the stereo sound field. For example, if you're running a stereo playback system with two or more speakers, panning the first cab to Left 100 and the second cab to Right 100 can make your tone sound notably wider. Press the knob to return to Center
• Delay (Dual only)—Although the new cabs in 3.50 perfectly line up with one another, there may be situations where you want to delay one side very slightly, to perhaps impart a bit of phase incoherence or at higher values, to increase the apparent stereo spread. A little goes a long way here

New Bass Cabs

 

Cab > 1x15 Ampeg B-15 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1×15″ Ampeg® B-15

Cab > 2×15 Brute (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×15″ MESA/Boogie® 2×15 EV

Cab > 4×10 Garden (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4x10" Eden D410XLT

Cab > 8x10 SVT AV (Single, Dual), captured from* the 8×10″ Ampeg® SVT® (SVT-810AV Heritage Edition)

• Mic—Select from up to 12 mics:
  • 57 Dynamic—Shure SM57
  • 421 Dynamic—Sennheiser MD 421-U
  • 7 Dynamic—Shure SM7
  • 88 Dynamic—Beyerdynamic M88TG
  • 52 Dynamic—Shure Beta 52A
  • 112 Dynamic—AKG D112
  • D6 Dynamic—Audix D6
  • 40 Dynamic—Heil Sound PR 40
  • 4038 Ribbon—Coles 4038
  • 414 Cond—AKG C414 TLII
  • 47 Cond FET—Neumann U47 FET
  • 67 Cond—Neumann U67
• All other parameters the same as for guitar cabs (see above)

 

 

New Amps in 3.50

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

 

Amp/Preamp > MOO)))N T Nrm, based on* the normal channel of the Sunn Model T.

Classic 1970s Sunn Model

 tube t is 3 x 12AX7 (pre-amp) and 4 x 6550 (power amp).

 

This thing has headroom that reaches the peaks of mountains, even at bedroom volumes. For better or worse though, the signature Model T tone of this first generation comes from the power section, so be prepared to crank it all the way, and drive it with some hot humbuckers. Otherwise, add a Rat or fuzz pedal of your choice for lower volume performance.

 

 

 sounds from  doom guitarists’ recordings: Wino’s blazing “Obsessed“ tone; Stephen O’Malley’s vicious strains in Burning Witch, Khanate, and Thorr’s Hammer; Greg Anderson’s Goatsnake wails; just to name a few examples, and omit the obvious [Sunn O)))]. I find the sound of the Model T far superior for doom than the comparable Orange/Matamp heads, and it has application beyond just doom metal too. 

 

The Sunn Sound is legendary for its warm clean tones - and incredible ballsey, phat, searing distortion (with the preamp cranked all the way up).  It has Normal and Brite inputs with separate preamp levels, and a Master for overall volume.  The unusual linear-taper controls give you much finer adjustment of the distortion characteristics - color it the way you want it.

 

This thing COMMUNICATES what you're playing with transparent tube purity.  No grey-sounding, generic, me-too digital effects - just a simple signal path allowing more pick dynamics, and effective changes from the volume knob on your guitar.  When you give it drive...  you get DRIVE...  Almost like channel switching from the guitar !

When you plug in a Strat, it sings like a Strat - a Tele rings like a Tele - a Les Paul soars like a Les Paul...  and your axe will sound like it should !

Poseurs beware...  there's nowhere to hide.
What you Play - is What You GET !!

 

Hey...  But I Play BASS !!!

 

So forget that SVT...  This may be the Ultimate Bass Amp too.  A Killer...  rated at 150 watts, it feels waaaay more powerful.  We're talking prodigous, BIG Bottom Tube Power here...  no Girlie-Man, solid state Clip-n-Die 20-lb. Silicon Sissy.

The Model T can give you a huge CLEAN BASS tone at deafening levels...   

 

 

"The Moon model is based on a 1974, silver knob Sunn Model T amplifier. This is the early version with the more traditional tone stack. Though it has been repaired over the years, the circuit has every component at stock value. This specific unit has been well used, well maintained, and regularly enveloped in fog.

"This amp circuit can best be described as a Fender Tweed Bassman/Marshall JTM45 preamp mated with a very high volume, very flat, ultralinear power amp that uses 6550 tubes. The result of this configuration is a tone with a raw growl that really has a strong punch to the gut. In addition, this configuration takes pedals very well; adding a distortion or booster can turn the amp into a high gain, doom machine."

 

—Ben Adrian, Sound Design Manager

 

 

Amp/Preamp > MOO)))N T Brt, based on* the bright channel of the Sunn Model T

 

 

Amp/Preamp > MOO)))N T Jump, based on* the normal and bright channels jumped in the Sunn Model T

 

 

Amp/Preamp > PV VitriolCrunch, based on* the crunch channel of the Peavey Invective

(Master boost off). 

 

 high-gain amplifier to deliver pristine cleans, 

high-gain performance of the legendary Peavey 6505 series, then adds a level of versatility that is unprecedented in an amp within this class. Designed in collaboration with Misha Mansoor of Periphery, the invective.120 features three channels which each deliver a distinctive sonic-range, as well as a long list of controls which allow you to dial in that perfect tone.

 from the most extreme high gain metal, to a flawless classic rock tone, to a deep clean jazz tone - it's all there, and everything in-between!
 with four 6L6GC output tubes  . In order to produce the widest variety of tone, from the cleanest clean to the most extreme high gain, we incorporate 6 of the finest gain matched 12AX7 tubes.

 switchable channels (Clean/Crunch/Lead), giving you a sonic palette that lets your imagination run wild. Both the Lead and Crunch channels have independent Pre and Post Gain controls as well as shared low/mid/high EQ, in line with the revered Peavey 6505 head. They also feature a shared switchable front end boost fast attack input noise gate with a threshold for complete control over muting. Master Resonance, Presence and Volume knobs, and it's ready to rock.

 

Peavey designed this 6L6 tube-powered monster in collaboration with Misha Mansoor of Periphery, with the goal of offering no-compromise, high-gain performance and flexibility.

 

 

Amp/Preamp > PV Vitriol Lead, based on* the lead channel of the Peavey Invective (Master boost off)

 

 

 

New Effects in 3.50

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

 

Distortion > Pillars OD (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Earthquaker Devices Plumes distortion

 

 

• Gain—Sets the amount of distortion
• Tone—Sets the overall tonal balance of the distortion
• Level—Sets the overall level of the block
• Mode—Chooses the type of clipping circuit—1 is LED, 2 is Clean Opamp, 3 is Asymmetrical (TS setting)
•  

Clipping Modes (3-Way Toggle):

1. Symmetrical LED clipping - More Crunch and Compression.

2. No clipping - Wide open OpAmp drive for clean boost.

3. Asymmetrical silicon diode clipping - More transparency with a loose feel.

 

Mode 1 is symmetrical clipping utilizing a pair of light emitting diodes. This is the crunchiest setting the Plumes has to offer. When played through a clean amp, it’ll deliver a reasonable facsimile of that classic black and gold British valve amp tone. If you already set your amp dirty, using this mode will make it filthy.

Mode 2 is clean boost mode. This eliminates the soft clipping diodes altogether and leaves you with straight OpAmp drive. This is perfect for pushing your clean tone out in front or driving the preamp of an already overdriven amp into tasteful breakup territory. Mode 3 is an asymmetrical silicon diode arrangement similar to the stock screamer but with more output and clean clarity; the tone some people describe as “transparent”. It’s almost as if your clean tone is blended in with a slightly less clean tone, ya know? Using this mode gives a warmer low-end response and lower output. It’s less hard on your amp and your ears. It’s a classic pleasant tone the whole band can enjoy.

 

Distortion > Vital Dist (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Earthquaker Devices Life pedal (Amplitude side)

An octave fuzz inspired by the Shin-Ei FY2 & FY6 units leads the circuit into a brutal big box rodent inspired distortion, recreated with the best components, and including a three-way clipping switch (OpAmp, Asymmetric & Symmetric). Second stage is a purely clean boost to further overdrive the preamp tubes of your vintage system into -scaped harmonics, and feedback overtone bliss.

Chasms are cleared, mountains sheared, glaciers calved, novæ birthed. Vintage valve amplifiers recommended.

 

Sunn O))) Life Pedal is a distortion with a blendable analog octave up and a booster combined in one compact package.




 

The “Amplitude” side. The traditional circuit uses a single pair of silicon diodes for a tight, compressed crunch. The Sunn O))) Life Pedal introduces two additional clipping options to better adapt to different rigs. The first position is no diodes to allow for full, grinding OpAmp assault at maximum volume. The second position utilizes two silicon diodes and one LED in an asymmetrical clipping configuration. This delivers a slightly compressed and smooth crunch, similar to a valve amplifier. The last position is the stock double silicon diode configuration which provides that classic tone you know and love.

 

the Octave control slowly blends in the octave effects as you turn it clockwise. This feature can also be used via expression control allowing for wild, hands-free octave swells mid-riff. 

it is monophonic and works best playing single notes above the twelfth fret while using the neck pickup. Playing chords with the analog octave will sound clanging and chaotic. Using the bridge

 

Amplitude: Output volume for the octave distortion side. Clockwise for more hearing loss, counterclockwise for a healthy life in old age.

 

 

• Gain—Sets the amount of distortion
• Filter—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the signal, letting you remove treble frequencies. At 0.0, no filter is applied
• Level—Sets the overall level of the block
• Clipping—Chooses the type of clipping circuit—Opamp, Asymmetrical, or Symmetric[al]
• Octave—Blends in a signal one octave up. At 0.0, no octave signal is heard. Works best when playing single notes

 

Distortion > Vital Boost (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Earthquaker Devices Life pedal (Magnitude side)

 

 

• Boost—Sets the output level of the boost circuit
   

  The “Magnitude” section of Sunn O))) Life Pedal is a simple all-discrete MOSFET booster designed to blast your preamp tubes and drive them wild. It is a 100% clean, no-nonsense, high impedance booster that adds very little color to your tone. It does not add distortion on its own but has plenty of output to push your amp into saturation.

  The signal path goes Octave > Distortion > Boost. The octave distortion and booster can be used independently with their own respective footswitches.

Amplitude Footswitch: Distortion Activator

 

Octave: This blends in the analog octave as you turn it clockwise.

Distortion: Turn clockwise for more distortion, counterclockwise for less. This provides about +60dB of gain.

Filter: This is a low pass filter with a frequency response from around 500Hz to 30kHz. Turn counterclockwise for more high-end, clockwise for less.

 

Clipping Switch:

• OpAmp: No diodes to allow for full, grinding OpAmp assault at maximum volume.

• Asymm: two silicon diodes and one LED in an asymmetrical clipping configuration. This delivers a slightly compressed and smooth crunch, similar to a valve amplifier.

• Symm: This is the stock double silicon diode configuration which provides that classic tone you know and love.

Magnitude: This is the output volume for the booster. Clockwise to blow up your amp, counterclockwise if you are a baby. Unity is somewhere right around noon on the dial.

 

Magnitude Footswitch: Boost Activator

Octave Footswitch: Octave Activator

 

 

 

Modulation > 4-Voice Chorus (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original

 

 

• Rate—Adjusts the speed of the chorus’ low-frequency oscillator (LFO) from slow to fast
• Depth—Adjusts the amplitude of the modulation, from mild to deep
• Voices—Determines the number of voices in the chorus (2, 3, or 4)
• Low Cut—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the chorus, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
• HighShelf—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the fills, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the chorus. When set to 0%, no chorus is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
• Level—Controls the overall output level of the block

 

Modulation > FlexoVibe (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original

 

 

• Rate—Adjusts the speed of the chorus’ low-frequency oscillator (LFO) from slow to fast
• Intensity—Adjusts the amplitude of the modulation, from mild to deep
• Warp—Controls the shape of the LFO. At 0.0, the LFO waveform is a triangle; at +1.0 and -1.0, the waveforms exhibit more chaos, or "warping"
• Spread—Controls the phase offset between the two LFOs. At 0.0, no offset is heard; at 10.0, the two LFOs are separated by 180°. Generally sounds best somewhere in the middle
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the FlexoVibe effect. When set to 0%, no effect is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
• Level—Controls the overall output level of the block

 

Reverb > Dynamic Ambience (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original ambience reverb. At less extreme settings can be used to "open up" the sound of your amp without applying a notable reverb effect. Also utilizes less DSP than other Dynamic reverbs.

 

 

• Room Size—Sets the size of the hall (8, 10, or 12 meters)
• Predelay—Determines the amount of delay heard before the signal enters the hall. Can sometimes result in more definition between the dry and effected signals
• Damping—Determines the frequency above which the reverb will be absorbed. For example, if your hall is full of people wearing fake ocelot jumpsuits, more high frequencies would be absorbed than if the room were empty
• Diffusion—Sets the amount of smearing between discrete echoes, sometimes resulting in a softer effected signal
• Shape—Controls the blend of the Early and Late reflections. Turning the knob clockwise adds more Late reflections; turning the knob counterclockwise adds more Early reflections. Press the knob to reset to "Even"
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
• Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
• High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
• Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
• Trails—When on, reverb decay continues to ring out after the block is bypassed

 

Pitch/Synth > Boctaver (Mono, Stereo), based on* the BOSS® OC-2 Octaver

 

 

• –1 Oct—Sets the level of the signal one octave down
• –2 Oct—Sets the level of the signal two octaves down
• Dry Level—Sets the level of the dry (unaffected) signal

 

*NOTE: All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or affiliated with them. These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

 

 

New Features in 3.50

IR > Dual Block

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

 

 

3.50 renames the Impulse Response > Mono subcategory as "Single" and adds a new subcategory—Dual. The IR > Dual block can accommodate two 1024-point IRs, you can pan them independently, flip the polarity of either one, and even slightly delay one vs. the other to account for any phase inconsistencies between IR developers.

• IR Select A—Selects the IR file for the first (A) slot
• Low Cut A—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the IR, letting you remove the signal below a certain frequency
• High Cut A—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the decks, letting you remove the signal above a certain frequency
• Level A—Sets the level of the first (A) IR
• Pan A—Pans the IR left or right between stereo speakers. Press the knob to reset to Center
• Polarity A—Flips the polarity of the IR's waveform. If your IR block suddenly makes everything sound thin, try setting this to "Inverted" to see if it helps
• IR Select B—Selects the IR file for the second (B) slot
• Low Cut B—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the IR, letting you remove the signal below a certain frequency
• High Cut B—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the decks, letting you remove the signal above a certain frequency
• Level B—Sets the level of the second (B) IR
• Pan B—Pans the IR left or right between stereo speakers. Press the knob to reset to Center
• Polarity B—Flips the polarity of the IR's waveform. If your IR block suddenly makes everything sound thin, try setting this to "Inverted" to see if it helps
• [Both] Delay—Some IR files don't line up perfectly, especially when mixing and matching files from two different developers. This can result in phase incoherence or a thin, unfocused tone. Turning this knob clockwise delays the B side IR by a tiny bit; turning it counterclockwise delays the A side by a tiny bit. Press the knob to return Delay to "None"
• [Both] Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the IR block. For Cab IRs, you should leave this set to 100%, but when utilizing body resonance IRs for acoustic guitars, you may want to find the right blend between the IR and dry signal

 

New Cabs and IRs now use 66-80% Less DSP

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects [IRs only], HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

 

 

Due to further improvements to Helix Core, new Cabs and 1024-point IRs use roughly 66% less DSP as older Hybrid cabs and IRs in 3.15 and earlier versions. A new Cab > Dual block uses less DSP than a single Hybrid cab block and the new IR > Dual block uses less DSP than a single IR block in 3.15. 2048-point IRs use roughly 80% less DSP, although they still use a lot of memory, so they're still limited to one instance per path. NOTE: Older Hybrid cabs use the same amount of DSP as in earlier firmware.

 

Disable Snapshot Control over Parameter Assignments

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

Prior to 3.50, when assigning a parameter to a physical control (EXP 1, footswitch, etc.) or MIDI, Snapshots are also always assigned. In 3.50, they still are, but there's an additional "Snapshot Control" parameter on the Controller Assign page that lets you bypass this behavior.

1. From the Controller Assign menu, select the desired parameter and turn Knob 2 (Controller) to select any value other than "None" or "Snapshots." A second page appears.
2. Press PAGE> and turn Knob 1 (Snapshot Control) to "Off." It's set to "On" by default for all parameters.

 

 

Other Changes and Improvements in 3.50

• Encoder ballistics have been drastically improved. For example, tonestack values can go from 0.0 to 10.0 with one turn
• Helix Floor/Rack/LT only—SHORTCUT: While the Model List is open, pressing [AMP] jumps to highlight the Amp category without having to scroll down to it
• Helix Floor/Rack/LT only—The Impulse Response category's name has been shortened to "IR" (now matches that of HX Stomp/XL) to accommodate a wider subcategory column in the model list as well as accommodate longer IR names in the inspector header

 

Bug Fixes in 3.50

• Reverb > Shimmer's Pitch parameter was inconsistent between hardware and HX Edit—FIXED
• Reverb > Dynamic Room's Mot Rate value range was inconsistent between hardware and HX Edit—FIXED
• Delay > Stereo > ADT's Mod Rate value range was inconsistent between hardware and HX Edit—FIXED
• Delay > Tesselator and Ratchet's Operation is set to "Mute All," the signal would be muted even when bypassed—FIXED
• When Global Settings > Preferences > Snapshot Edits is set to "Discard," holding FS12 (SAVE+EXIT) while in Pedal Edit mode did not always save edited parameters when controlled by snapshots—FIXED
• After loading a preset containing a Command Center > Instant > Ext Amp command, EXP Pedal 1 could sometimes stop functioning properly—FIXED
• When a snapshot is reloaded, a duplicate MIDI PC message was not sent—FIXED
• When many Command Center commands are assigned, snapshot names could sometimes disappear—FIXED
• While in tuner view, attempting to restore globals could sometimes cause Helix to crash—FIXED
• When assigning block bypass to an expression pedal, Behavior > "Heel Down" or "Toe Down" could sometimes revert to "Toggle"—FIXED
• HX Stomp/HX Stomp XL only—Upon receiving MIDI CC73, changing views was not functioning as expected—FIXED
• HX Stomp/HX Stomp XL only—Overly long favorite names could result in graphical glitches—FIXED
• HX Stomp XL only—After changing presets using footswitches, capacitive sensing could become disabled until pressing a stomp switch—FIXED
• HX Stomp XL only—When a Command Center > Snapshot Up or Down command is assigned to Footswitch 7 or 8, an extra Snapshot Up/Down message could occur—FIXED
• HX Edit only—Copying and pasting an IR with more than 31 characters in the name would truncate the IR's name—FIXED
• HX Stomp w/ HX Edit only—After restoring from a 3.01 backup, if path B exists, blocks move 1 position to the right—FIXED
• Many other minor fixes and improvements

 

Known Issues in 3.50

• In some cases, the Input block's Variax Tone Knob setting is not recalled across preset changes
• In some cases, sending MIDI CC49-59 (footswitch emulation control) to engage stomp switches assigned to snapshot commands can result in inconsistent behavior. Instead, send Helix CC69 messages (values 0-7) to recall snapshots
• In rare cases, attempting to fill all 128 user IR locations can result in a "Failed to get impulse names" -8207 error and the device will appear to be frozen on "Transferring data." In the meantime, load 127 or fewer IRs at a time
• If Global Settings > Footswitches > Stomp Select is set to "Press" or "Touch+Press," engaging multiple block bypasses assigned to the same switch (set to momentary) can sometimes appear to lag
• In the Command Center, any MIDI notes assigned to a footswitch can sometimes unexpectedly trigger upon snapshot changes
• Helix Floor/Rack/LT only—If Path 1 is routed to Path 2, engaging the Tuner while Tuner Trails is on can sometimes mute the processed audio signal
• Helix Floor/Rack only—While in 10 Stomp footswitch mode, the momentary state of FS1 or FS7 can sometimes become reversed
• HX Effects only—If HX Effects is receiving MIDI clock, loading a new preset can sometimes cause the TAP LED to flash at double the tempo (audio is not affected, however)
• HX Edit only—In specific cases, moving a Path 2 block across a Split or Merge block can sometimes cause the block's location in the hardware to become out of sync

 

[Presonid]

 

 

Helix/HX 3.60 (released April 25, 2023) includes 3 new amps, 9 new cabs, 2 new effects, additional improvements, and bug fixes.

 

 

 

New Amps in 3.60

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

 

Amp/Preamp > Grammatico GSG, based on* the Grammatico GSG100.

 

Dumble ODS inspired built with premium period correct components combining vintage, audiophile and military grade for an authentic early Dumble tone. 6000$

 

 

"The Grammatico GSG100 is an amp based on the study of legendary amps made around 1980. This model aims to capture all the unique details of this amplifier circuit, many of which are quite different than popular guitar amps from the major companies. The GSG100 is a feature-rich and complicated amp. There are many amazing sounds in the amp; however, the controls allow for such a wide range of adjustment that it's possible to get unpleasant sounds from it as well. To best use the amp, it really helps to know exactly what each of these features is doing to the guitar signal. Let's go through the parameters as they are found in the Helix model:"

• POWER OUTPUT:100 watts
• POWER TUBES:6L6
• PRE-AMP TUBES:3x 12AX7

—Ben Adrian, Sound Design Manager

 

• Drive—This is the first volume control on the amp. It's called "drive" on the model to fit the pattern of all the Helix models. On the real amp is says "Volume."
• Bass, Mid, Treble—The normal tone controls on the amp (called a tone stack by amp nerds), located between the first and second gain stages in the preamp. These have different ranges than traditional guitar amp tone controls. Also, the whole voicing of the tone stack can be changed with the "Rock/Jazz" switch, which will be explained later.
• Presence—This is like the presence controls on other guitar amps. It changes the amount of high frequency in the power amp by modifying the EQ filtering in the power amp's negative feedback loop.
• Ch Vol—This controls the output level of the amp model. It has no effect on the tone or distortion of the amp model
• Master—This is the master volume on the front panel of the amp. It is located between the preamp and power amp and can be used to get more or less power amp distortion. This amp is VERY loud, and most players would probably run the master volume on the lower side. If the master volume is cranked, the power amp distortion can be pushed into unpleasant territory. Most players would never crank the master in real life as the actual output would be way too loud for most musical settings.
• Mid Switch—This switch changes the value of the treble capacitor in the tone stack. When it is off, the amp has more of a scooped sound. When it is on, there is a noticeable upper-mid boost.
• Jazz/Rock—This switch changes the wiring of the tone stack circuit. It allows for two totally separate tonal voices. Jazz is quieter with a lower center frequency for the mids. Rock is louder with a more traditional mid frequency center. Tone controls rarely translate well between the Jazz and Rock settings. If a good sound is achieved in one mode, it is not guaranteed that the same settings in the opposite mode will still sound pleasing.
• OD Switch—This turns the two-gain-stage tube overdrive circuit on and off. This circuit is located AFTER the tone controls and Drive knob. When the overdrive is turned on it's as if a third and fourth gain stage is added to the preamp. Generally, it's best to set up the base tone of the amp with the Drive and tone controls first, and then adjust the overdrive circuit to work with the desired base tone.
• OD Drive—This controls the amount of drive or saturation in the overdrive circuit. Since the whole overdrive circuit is after the amp's regular drive and tone controls, the range of OD Drive knob will change based on those earlier knob settings.
• OD Level—This controls the output level of the overdrive circuit.
• Bright—This is a three position switch. The settings are "off" and two different values of bright capacitor. This bright capacitor works with the Drive (volume) knob earlier in the circuit, and is similar to other amps that have bright switches. When the Bright switch is engaged, the effect is more pronounced with lower Drive settings. The bright becomes less effective at higher Drive settings. When the Drive is at 10, the switch is effectively removed from the amp circuit, and changing the switch settings has no audible effect.
• FET Boost—The GSG100 has a solid state, FET (Field Effect Transistor) boost circuit at the very beginning of the amp circuit. It is akin to placing a FET Boost pedal before the amp. On the physical unit there are two input jacks, but on the model it is placed on a switch and can even be made foot-switchable. The FET Boost has a fixed boost amount of about 7 to 9 dB and also gives a slight EQ change.
• PAB—This stands for "Preamp Boost." The PAB works by removing the tone controls from the circuit. Tone controls work by removing frequencies and signal level. Engaging the PAB circuit returns all of this lost signal level, but the side effect is that tone controls no longer work. It truth, the treble knob does work slightly, and the mid switch will change how much lows and mids comes through the circuit. In general, though, the PAB trades tone control functionality for a full blast level between tube gain stages 1 and 2.
• Sag—This is a control that is added to all the Helix models. Every tube amp has some amount of power supply sag, which feels like compression, squish, and sustain to the player. This control makes the sag amount user-adjustable.
• Hum—This is a control that is added to most of the Helix models. Preamp tube heaters in tube amps will leak a little bit of 60 cycle hum into the audio signal. When this hum mixes with the distorted audio signal, a non-musical distortion is created at low levels. To some players, this low-level, non-harmonic distortion adds a bit of realism to the amp model. The best way to put it is that sometimes the model sounds more "wrong" without the hum. However, if you don't like it, you can just turn it down.
• Ripple—This is a control that is added to most of the Helix models. Power amp circuits will sometimes let a little bit of rectified 120Hz hum (that the power supply filter caps can't quite fully remove) into the audio signal. When the power supply is being pushed hard, more of this ripple can get through the audio path. Much like the hum, this provides a bit of non-musical distortion to the power amp at distorted settings. To some people, this sounds like harmonic complexity that is enjoyable and realistic. Other players just don't like it and turn it off.
• Bias—This control is in most Helix models. It adjusts the bias of the tubes in the power amp, causing a change in tonality and the distortion characteristic.
• Bias X—This is the most difficult parameter to describe in Helix models, so hang on. All tube amps need to bias the power amp tubes. This is usually achieved by applying a negative voltage to the input audio signal. (Cathode bias works differently, but that's a story for a different time.) However, when the power tubes are distorting, free electrons can form around the input grid and cause a shift in the bias voltage. This shift only happens during the moments when distortion is occurring. This shift causes a tonal and texture change much like adjusting the bias control. However, once the tubes leave the distorted state, the free electrons dissipate and the bias returns to normal. Another way to put it (less accurately) is that this is a level/envelope controlled bias shift. This behavior is modeled in all Helix amps, and the Bias X control allows users to control the amount of bias shift that is happening. It is a very subtle change, so please don't expect high drama from this knob.

Grammatico GSG factory presets to check out:

Helix Floor/Rack/LT/Native

• FACTORY 1—04B [013] Grammatico GSG
• FACTORY 1—13A [048] Grammatico JNC. Preset created by John Cordy
• FACTORY 1—13B [049] Screams JNC. Preset created by John Cordy

 

Amp/Preamp > Line 6 Elmsley, Line 6 Original

 

 

"The Line 6 Elmsley is a new Line 6 original amplifier that employs a parallel distortion topology that layers distinct saturation characteristics across the lower and upper registers. The Elmsley features a smooth and present bottom end with some exceptional sparkle and definition all through the midrange and above. The result is an amplifier that is dazzling across the full spectrum, and the amplifier deals with pedals in spades.

 

"The other new key feature of The Elmsley's power amp section is the Negative Feedback (NFB) parameter, where the amount of feedback within the power section's response can be dialed anywhere from wild and unhinged, tight and punchy, and anything in between. As with many amplifier designs, the presence and depth controls are part of this negative feedback circuit and functions to control the brilliance and resonance of the power amp, respectively. As the NFB param is reduced, the presence and depth controls' influences are also influenced, and they become effectively deactivated when the NFB knob is at zero. These interactions allow the player to create countless tonal variations to suit their needs.”

 

—Sam Hwang, Sound Designer

 

Line 6 Elmsley factory preset to check out:

Helix Floor/Rack/LT/Native

• FACTORY 1—04C [014] Line 6 Elmsley. Turn Distortion > Minotaur off to hear more of the character of the amp. Press the NFB switch to instantly adjust with your feet

 

 

Amp/Preamp > Agua Sledge, based on* the Aguilar Tone Hammer

 

Based on the popular Tone Hammer^® pedal, this superlight bass head combines 3 bands of flexible EQ, a colorful “Drive” control, will give you the legendary “Aguilar Sound”   700$

Preamp Section: Solid State

Power Section: Class D

Transformer: Switching mode power supply (SMPS)

EQ Section:
Bass: +/- 17 dB @ 40 Hz
Mid Level: +/- 16 dB
Mid Frequency: 180 Hz – 1 kHz
Treble: +/- 14 dB @ 4 kHz

 

Agua Sledge factory presets to check out:

Helix Floor/Rack/LT/Native

• FACTORY 1—10D [039] BAS:Agua Sledge
• FACTORY 1—11C [042] BAS:Hire Me!

 

 

New Cabs in 3.60

New Guitar Cabs

 

 

Cab > 1x12 Blue Bell (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1×12″ Vox® AC-15 Blue Alnico

Cab > 1x12 Open Cream (Single, Dual), captured from* a custom 1x12" open back cabinet G12M-65

Cab > 1x12 Open Cast (Single, Dual), captured from* a custom 1x12" open back cabinet EVM12L

Cab > 2x12 Silver Bell (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×12″ Vox® AC-30TB Silver Alnico

Cab > 2x12 Match H30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2x12" Matchless® DC-30 custom G12H-30

Cab > 2x12 Match G25 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2x12" Matchless® DC-30 custom G12M-25

Cab > 4x12 Greenback 20 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Marshall® Basketweave G12M-20

 

• Delay (Dual only)—Although the new cabs in 3.60 perfectly line up with one another, there may be situations where you want to delay one side very slightly, to perhaps impart a bit of phase incoherence or at higher values, to increase the apparent stereo spread. A little goes a long way here

 

New Bass Cabs

 

Cab > 1x12 Epicenter (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1x12" Epifani® Ultralight series cabinet

Cab > 4x10 Ampeg Pro (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4x10" Ampeg® PR-410HLF

 

 

New Effects in 3.60

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

 

Distortion > Dark Dove Fuzz (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Electro-Harmonix® Russian Big Muff

 

 guitarristas y bajistas por sus destructores graves y únicos Sustain y crepitaciones con un enorme sonido

The big difference  bump in midrange and 2 kHz sizzle. Big Muffs with extra midrange 

The effect of the extra midrange  is most pronounced with Fender-style single-coils, and at times it can be a great asset. Punky rhythms sound slightly more colorful and more grinding. Overtone tangles in arpeggios can sound more pronounced

• Sustain—Sets the amount of distortion
• Tone—Sets the overall tonal balance of the distortion
• Level—Sets the overall level of the block

Modulation > Triple Rotary (Stereo only), inspired by* the Yamaha® RA-200 rotary speaker (famously implemented by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour).

 

 

"The Line 6 Triple Rotary is inspired by the Yamaha RA-200 Rotary speaker. The original RA-200 was a combo solid state amplifier designed to be used with organs much like other rotary speakers. However; the RA-200 unit was unique compared to the traditional rotary speakers, which typically have rotating horns and a rotating drum over a woofer, the Yamaha designs had midrange speakers which rotated vertically on top of a traditional non-rotating speaker cabinet.

 

"To make the model more versatile, we made this effect to behave more as a stereo effect rather than modeling the whole cabinet, and suggest using the effect in combination with a cabinet model if recording direct or listening through FRFR systems."

 

—Sam Hwang, Sound Designer

• Speed—Sets whether the speaker reflects the Slow Speed or Fast Speed
• Slow Speed—Sets the rate for the Slow Speed. Press the knob to toggle between a static rate (0.0 ~ 10.0) or note values for syncing with Tap Tempo and incoming MIDI clock
• Fast Speed—Sets the rate for the Fast Speed. Press the knob to toggle between a static rate (0.0 ~ 10.0) or note values for syncing with Tap Tempo and incoming MIDI clock
• Ramp Time—Adjusts how fast switching from Slow Speed to Fast Speed and back takes place
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the rotary effect. When set to 0%, no rotary effect is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
• Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
• Drive—Controls the amount of drive into the speaker's power amp
• Headroom—Adds up to 12.0dB of additional headroom
• Low Cut—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the speakers, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
• High Cut—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the speakers, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
• Wobble—Models how evenly the rotating speaker and its ballast weight are balanced about the axis. At zero, the speaker and ballast are perfectly balanced, and as the wobble control is increased the rotation of the speakers becomes more eccentric.
• Separation—The separation of the stereo field. Practically, this simulates moving the two listening points further apart as the separation knob is increased
• Rotor Drift—Adjusts how close the three rotor motors are in sync with each other in speed. As each of the rotors were belt driven, there are often some differences in belt or motor wear, and it creates some subtle modulation effects between the three rotors
• Rotor 2 Lvl—Sets the individual volume of the second rotor
• Rotor 3 Lvl—Sets the individual volume of the third rotor

 

*NOTE: All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or affiliated with them. These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

 

• A few 3.50 factory presets have been updated to utilize 3.60 cabs where appropriate

[Presonid]

 

Helix/HX 3.70 (released November 16, 2023) includes 10 new amps, 9 new cabs, 5 new effects, new features, and bug fixes

 

New Guitar Amps in 3.70

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

The six Original Amp Designs in Helix/HX 3.70 (Clarity, Aristocrat, Carillon, Voltage, Kinetic, and Oblivion) are taken from Line 6's popular line of Catalyst guitar amps. Each boasts a unique, integrated boost circuit optimized specifically for that amp. You can assign the Boost parameter to a stomp switch:

1. Select one of the six Original Amp Design models below.
2. Press and hold the Boost knob. Helix/HX jumps to the Controller Assign screen.
3. [HX only: Press PAGE> to show the Learn knob.] Press Learn.
4. Press the desired stomp switch. Helix/HX automatically assigns it. If you like, adjust Min Value and Max Value to dial in how much boost you want.
5. Press HOME to exit. Wonder to yourself "wait, it's that easy to assign any parameter in Helix/HX to a stomp switch? Why haven't I done this before?"—OR—ponder "I'm a power user who knows all the shortcuts. I should assign parameters to switches more often."

Amp model	Boost
Clarity	adds a tube stage with gentle clipping before the amp model
Aristocrat	adds a boutique boost pedal (Kinky Boost) before the amp
Carillon	adds a vintage-style treble booster (Deranged Master) before the amp
Voltage	adds an extra tube gain stage
Kinetic	adds gain and EQ modifications to simulate classic amp mods
Oblivion	adds a classic OD (Stupor OD) before the amp

Amp/Preamp > Line 6 Clarity, Original Amp Design inspired by classic clean solid-state and tube amps. Lots of clean headroom with just a touch of overdrive at the very end of the Drive knob's range.

Boost: adds a tube stage with gentle clipping before the amp model

 

Amp/Preamp > Line 6 Aristocrat, Original Amp Design inspired by rare, unobtainable boutique mid-gain black-panel amps. Features aren’t limited by what can be done with analog circuits.

Boost:  adds a boutique boost pedal (Kinky Boost compresor) before the amp

 

Amp/Preamp > Line 6 Carillon, Line 6 Original inspired by modern and vintage versions of a popular EL84 driven tube amp (Chime - VOX) with added grit at higher gain settings. We kept the good quirks and eliminated the ugly ones, while also making the tone controls more flexible.

 

Boost: adds a vintage-style treble booster  (Deranged Master) before the amp

Amp/Preamp > Line 6 Voltage, Line 6 Original inspired by the classic Crunch British "plexi" amp, but with an additional gain stage and more tonal versatility.

Boost:  adds an extra preamp tube gain stage

 

Amp/Preamp > Line 6 Kinetic, Dynamic Line 6 Original where all the preamp stages clip at roughly the same time, allowing the amp to go from mostly clean to heavily distorted using the guitar's volume control. Good for Lead or 

Boost: adds gain and EQ modifications to simulate classic amp mods

 

Amp/Preamp > Line 6 Oblivion,  Hi-Gain Line 6 Original designed to cover both modern metal and old-school '80s thrash. We took out a lot of the noise associated with high gain, retaining just enough so that it doesn’t sound sterile or artificial. 

 

Boost : adds a classic OD (Stupor OD) before the amp

 

Amp/Preamp > Brit 2203, based on* the Marshall JCM800 2203 (Stock). 

TIP: Use snapshots (or a Stomp switch) to change the 2203's Input parameter between Low and High

 

Marshall's legendary tone than the JCM800 2203 guitar amplifier head. With just one channel, a 3-band EQ for tone shaping, and 100-watts of power, you've got everything you need to pound out classic tones from crunchy blues to screaming leads and beyond

 

The previus modeled  50w (2204) models are dirtier and break up at lower volumes. This one 100w (2203) models have a lot more headroom and take a lot more to break up and distort making them much cleaner at higher levels than it's little brother.  EL34 power and 12ax7 pre-amp tubes

Amp/Preamp > PV Vitriol Clean, based on* the Peavey Invective (Clean Channel)

The clean channel is a huge improvement, combining very high headroom with a boost, which adds a warm, vocal quality that raises the bar for amps in this genre.

The Clean channel remains clean even at the highest gain settings, while its Boost function can dial in varying levels of overdrive.

 

 

New Bass Amps in 3.70

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

Amp/Preamp > US Dripman Nrm, based on* the Fender Bassman (Silver Panel)

 

Should I use US Dripman Nrm as a bass amp or a guitar amp?

Yes.

Fender bassman  mid 70's"

Amp/Preamp > Mandarin 200, based on* the Orange AD200 MkIII bass amp

 

 

The AD200B MKIII is simply  pure valve bass amplifiers.  Inputs for both active and passive instruments and a simple but effective EQ.

With four 6550 output valves pushing 200 Watts of power, has a deep, dynamic low-end with a creamy yet focused mid-range. The now-iconic gain structure reveals a wide spectrum of vintage and modern tones, from mellow hues perfect for flatwound strings, through to heavy, percussive growl. 

Vintage Soul to Classic Rock, high-fidelity Funk to grinding Metal, decades of great valve bass sounds are instantly available from the only five controls you’ll ever need.

 

New Cabs in 3.70

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

 

Cab > Soup Pro Ellipse (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1x6×9″ Supro® S6616

 

Cab > 1x8 Small Tweed (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1×8″ Fender® Champ

 

Cab > 1x12 Fullerton (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1x12" Fender® 5C3 Tweed Deluxe

 

Cab > 1x12 Cali IV (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1x12" MESA/Boogie® Mk IV combo

 

Cab > 2x12 Interstate (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×12″ Dr Z® Z Best V30

 

Cab > 4x12 WhoWatt 100 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Hiwatt® AP Fane®

 

 

Cab > 4x12 Greenback 30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Marshall® Basketweave G12H-30

 

Cab > 2x15 Dripman (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2x15" Fender® Bassman JBL D130

 

Cab > 6x10 Cali Power (Single, Dual), captured from* the 6×10″ MESA/Boogie® Power House

 

New Effects in 3.70

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL, HX One

Distortion > Prize Drive (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Nobels ODR-1

• Drive—Sets the amount of distortion
• Spectrum—When turned down, mids are accentuated; when turned up, lows and highs are accentuated. Could almost be considered a "scoop" control.
• Level—Sets the overall level of the block.
• Bass Cut—When set to "On," slightly attenuates low bass frequencies.
• Voltage—The Nobels ODR-1 can behave differently depending on how much power it receives. Choose 9V or 18V, which gives a bit more headroom.

 

The Nobels ODR-1 is not another green overdrive clone.  A cult classic among Nashville session players, the ODR-1 is a natural-sounding dirt box that fits sonically somewhere between the mythical transparent overdrive and the aforementioned mid-forward green pedal. 

With its ability to tackle light harmonic coloration, blues-like grit, and hard-rock crunch with equal aplomb, the Nobels ODR-1 Natural Overdrive is the secret to the coveted Nashville session sound.

 

 Spectrum enables you to simultaneously dial in your bass and treble without affecting your mids. The result is extremely transparent, and it flatters any amp you plug the pedal into.

 

 

 

Distortion > Regal Bass DI (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Noble Preamp bass DI

One of the best preamps/DI's available  (1000$)

• Bass—Adds a 150Hz bass boost to the signal. 0.0 is flat.
• Treble—Adds a 3.5kHz treble boost to the signal. 0.0 is flat.
• Low Cut—Applies a 90Hz low cut (high pass) filter to the signal (6dB/octave).
• Volume—Controls the overall output level of the DI.

 

Dynamics > Feedbacker (Mono), Line 6 Original feedback generator

Oh man, this one is fun with a capital Ffffff but you'll want to read up on how to get the best results. Works best as one of the first blocks in your signal flow. NOTE: Feedbacker loads bypassed by default.

• Fdbk Gain—Controls the amount of feedback. At higher settings, can easily overwhelm your guitar signal; at lower settings, the feedback can better "sit" between chords. WARNING! Be careful, as this effect can quickly go off the rails, just like real feedback. Consider assigning it to a momentary stomp so feedback only appears while you hold the switch.
• Fdbk Type—Determines the type of the feedback generated. TIP: Try assigning different Feedback Type values to snapshots.
  • –Octave—Feedback appears one octave below the "reference frequency," which is basically the note Feedbacker chooses to base its feedback generation on. Depending on the chord, Feedbacker may choose different reference frequencies.
  • Unison—Feedback appears at the reference frequency.
  • +Octave—Feedback appears one octave above the the reference frequency.
  • Oct +5th—Feedback appears one octave plus a 5th above the the reference frequency.
  • +2 Octaves—Feedback appears two octaves above the the reference frequency.
  • 2 Oct+3rd—Feedback appears two octaves plus a 3rd above the reference note frequency.
  • 2 Oct+5th—Feedback appears two octaves plus a 5th above the reference note frequency.
  • 2 Oct+7th—Feedback appears two octaves plus a 7th above the reference note frequency.
  • Mid to Low—Feedback typically starts on the highest harmonic below 500 Hz and drops down to lower harmonics as the signal decays.
  • High to Low—Feedback typically begins on the highest harmonic below 1200 Hz and descends to lower harmonics as the signal decays.
  • Rndm Onset—New harmonics are selected randomly every time a new onset (note or chord's attack) is detected. In this case, repeating the same chord could still generate different harmonics.
  • Rndm Trigger—New harmonics are selected randomly every time the Retrigger parameter is set to "Trigger." See the Retrigger parameter below.
• Attack—Controls how quickly feedback appears.
• Release—Controls how quickly each harmonic dies out or transitions to a different one. At higher values, you may hear more than one harmonic as they transition.
• Dry Kill—Determines what happens to the dry (unaffected) signal:
  • Off—The dry signal is controlled by the Dry Level parameter but is otherwise unaffected when the Feedbacker block is turned on
  • On—The dry signal is muted when the Feedback block is turned on. TIP: With Dry Kill on and Fdbk Type set to "Unison," playing slower, single notes can result in sounds similar to using an E-bow.
  • Always—The dry signal is completely muted from the entire path, regardless of whether the Feedback block is on or off. TIP: Use this setting only when Feedbacker is on a parallel path.
• Dry Level—Sets the amount of dry signal through the Feedbacker block. TIP: Assign this parameter to an expression pedal for blending in the dry signal behind the feedback.
• Reference—Determines which note within a chord is referenced by the feedback. "Lowest" prioritizes a chord's lowest-pitched note as the feedback reference, which often represents the fundamental frequency of the chord. "Loudest" prioritizes the loudest note in the chord as the feedback reference, which may not be the lowest note.
• Silence Thr—Sets the level threshold above which feedback is generated. Below this level, no feedback will be generated.
• Onset Thr—When Feedback Type is set to Rndm Offset, sets the threshold of onsets (plucks) that cause changes to the feedback note. Lower values increase sensitivity to plucking and strumming, so changes to the feedback note take place more often. Higher values reduce sensitivity to plucking and strumming, so changes to the feedback note take place less often.
• Offset Thr—Rapid drops in the signal level by this amount will quickly kill the feedback to prevent warbling.
• Retrigger—Okay, Retrigger isn't a parameter per sé; it's meant for you to assign it to an unused momentary stomp switch. (Press and hold the Retrigger knob, press Learn, press the desired stomp switch, and then set Type to "Momentary.") Every time you press the switch (and the parameter changes from "---" to "Trigger"), the feedback generated will change, depending on the type of mode:
  • Mid to Low or High to Low modes—Pressing the Retrigger switch will cause the Feedbacker to descend to lower harmonics.
  • Rndm Trigger or Rndm Onset—Pressing the Retrigger switch will cause the Feedbacker to randomly choose a different harmonic.
  • All other modes—Pressing the Retrigger switch will cause feedback to regenerate at the mode's selected frequency.
• Trails—When on, feedback continues to ring out (for the duration of the Release parameter) after the block is bypassed. When off, feedback stops abruptly when the block is bypassed.

 

Reverb > Dynamic Bloom (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original bloom reverb.

• Decay—Sets the decay of the reverb (0.1 sec ~ 45.0 sec, or Infinity).
• Damping—Determines the frequency above which the reverb will be absorbed. For example, if your hall is full of people wearing fake ocelot jumpsuits, more high frequencies would be absorbed than if the room were empty.
• Mot Rate—Motion Rate, or how fast the echoes' intensity changes.
• Rise Time—Sets how long it takes for the reverb to bloom. Choose Short, Medium (default), or Long.
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard.
• Low Freq—Sets the frequency below which the Low Gain parameter is applied.
• Low Gain—Sets the reverb time for frequencies below the Low Freq value. Values below 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay faster than the treble frequencies; values above 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay slower than the treble frequencies.
• Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency.
• High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency.
• Ducking—Traditionally, ducking controls how much of the entire reverb is dropped in volume (or "ducked") while the signal is active. With Dynamic Bloom, the ducking instead applies to the reverb's feedback only. For example, if you set Decay really high and strum one chord, you'll hear that chord sustain for a long time. While it's ringing out, hit another chord. Without ducking, both chords now sustain together. With Ducking set high, the first chord quickly fades out, and all you'll hear sustaining is the 2nd chord. This can help your bloom from turning into a sloppy mess.
• Level—Sets the overall level of the block.
• Trails—When set to "Off," reverb decay is instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," the reverb continues to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected.

 

Reverb > Nonlinear (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original nonlinear reverb with a variety of decay tail shapes (including multiple reverse reverb shapes).

• Decay—Sets the decay of the reverb (1.0 ms ~ 2.000 sec). Press the knob to toggle between ms/sec and note values. TIP: When set to note values, playing a note/chord 4 beats (Decay set to "1/1") or 2 beats (Decay set to "1/2") before a song transition can cause the reverb to stop right on the downbeat.
• Predelay—Determines the amount of delay heard before the signal enters the reverb.
• Shape—Determines the shape of the reverb's decay:
  • Linear—Traditional reverse reverb with an even, linear slope; abruptly stops after the decay length.
  • Log—Reverse reverb with a logarithmic curve so it starts low and ramps up toward the decay's end.
  • Inverse Log—Reverse reverb with an inverse logarithmic curve so it ramps up quickly.
  • Gauss—Ramps up and then down in a gaussian curve shape.
  • Inverse Gauss—Ramps down and then up in a gaussian curve shape.
  • Triangle—Ramps up and then down in a triangle shape.
  • Inverse Triangle—Ramps up and then down in a triangle shape.
  • Full—No ramp at all; the reverb is on full blast for the duration of the decay and then abruptly stops after the decay length.

• Late Dry—Adds a bit of the original signal as the very last tap. Most audible when playing simple lines with gaussian and triangle shapes.
• Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard.
• Level—Sets the overall level of the block.
• Diffusion—Sets the amount of smearing between discrete echoes, sometimes resulting in a softer effected signal.
• Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency.
• High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency.
• Mod—Controls the amount of modulation applied to the reverb.
• Rate—Controls the rate or speed of modulation applied to the reverb.
• Spread (Stereo version only)—Determines the stereo width or spread of the effected signal.
• Trails—When set to "Off," reverb decay is instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," the reverb continues to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected.

 

*NOTE: All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or affiliated with them. These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

 

New Features in 3.70

Cab Delay > Auto Value

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

Helix/HX's new cab engine (introduced with 3.50) makes it easy to quickly find a great cab sound by automatically phase and time-aligning the mics in dual cab setups; this avoids the phasing or "thinning out" that can occur naturally when using two mics at different distances. However, some studio engineers are very adept at using phase misalignment to achieve interesting sounds. We've now added a new "Auto" value to the Cab > Delay parameter (all the way left, before 0.0 ms) that automatically approximates the delay through the air when changing the mic Distance parameter.

For most people, however, we recommend leaving Delay set to the default "0.0 ms."