HELP Line 6 HELIX with blackstar HT-60 sounds

[nadernader1]

so i need help 

 

i have tried standard inputs, 4 cable methods, using the my amp's poweramp. using the helix's modeled amp and cabinets

 

and nothing seems to work all my sounds are pretty much horrible

 

i am not blaming the helix i have seen countless videos where people come up with amazing tones, and there are many customer reviews about how good the product is, so i am thinking i am the problem.

 

can someone just guide me into getting a decent tone ? what am i doing wrong here ! should i buy FRFR amp/speakers? 

 

anything helps because as of now i am completely out of ideas

 

thanks

[roscoe5]

Whew, I got distracted by that Helix vs AX8 forum. I saw no one chimed in yet here, so...

No need to go FRFR right away. I, and many others, use Helix amp or preamp models (no cabs or IR's) into the power amp of our tube amps and guitar cabs.

Looks like the HT-60 has an effects return and resonance and presence knobs.

First I would try a preset with a Helix amp model (no cab), Helix 1/4" left output>HT-60 effects return, then adjust the resonance and presence knobs on the HT-60. On my tube amps, I usually have to set the presence knobs at about 25%-50% up, or 9-12 o'clock, to get a pleasing tone.  Then adjust the Helix global eq if needed.

If it is still not to your liking, try a Helix preamp block, but you will have to turn its level up a bit more to get the same volume.

Once you get all of that sorted out, you can split the signal before the final helix output and put a cab or IR on that for XLR out to the house PA, etc.

[sikter]

This is what I did with help of others in this forum:

http://line6.com/support/topic/20431-helix-with-real-ac30-and-pa/?do=findComment&comment=154432

 

I hope it helps to get you started.

[wilssantos]

nadernader1, the sound in your amp is "harsh" because you're probably mixing two amps/cabs together: the simulated amp/cab from Helix and your own tube amp/cab.

 

What I do with my Blackstar HT40 is the following: guitar into Helix -> pre fx (od, chorus, flanger, etc) -> send/return block -> cable from send1 to Blackstar's guitar input -> (here I "collect" the Blackstar's preamp sound) -> cable from Blackstar's send to Helix's return1 -> post fx (delays, reverbs, etc.) -> cable from Helix's 1/4" output to Blackstar's return.

That's the traditional 4 cable method. When you plug anything into the amp's return, the whole signal goes straight to Blackstar's power amp, bypassing its preamp (but because you already "collected" the preamp sound in the signal, that's exactly what you want). So you don't need (and probably don't want) other amps or cabs in your way along the Helix signal chain. The block that will take your "amp/cab" block space is the "send/return" block on Helix. And that will mean your Blackstar. Your Helix is there purely for effects.

 

Another thing I do is do the same route up to the point where I collect the Blackstar's preamp sound, but then I send the 1/4" stereo output to my monitors (they don't have xlr inputs, but you can use those if you have them) and connect the Helix via USB to the computer, so I can have a tone to record with (at lower volumes than the amp or even silently). In this specific case, I DO NEED a cab block, because I will not be using Blackstar's power amp, only its preamp. So after the send/return block, I add a cab or impulse response block to simulate my amp's cab and give life to my preamp's sound (or else it will sound feeble). Hence I don't connect anything to the amp's return (because I don't want any sound to come out of it in my room late at night hehe).

Another possibility in this scenario is connecting the Blackstar to the Helix through Blackstar's emulated output (into Helix's return), which in theory would eliminate the need for a cab block. I haven't tested this, though, and I think I like the flexibility of choosing the cab myself.

 

Does this all make sense? Hope it helps.

One important thing to keep in mind: when connecting the Helix's 1/4" output to the amp, go to the global settings and make sure it's set to "instrument". When connecting it to monitors, make sure it's set to "line". The same is valid for send/return: if you send your signal to the Blackstar's input, make sure it's set to "instrument". I think it's better to use one send1 block and one return2 block, because the Blackstar's send (or its emulated output) is a line signal, so it's better to have the helix's return set to "line". So by having send1 as instrument and return2 as line on Helix, you should have the most precise sound possible.