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If You Transitioned from HD500 to Helix, Have You Noticed...?


DunedinDragon
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I doubt that it's just me, but having come from the HD500X world it seems like my presets are coming together MUCH faster than before.

 

Some of it may be due to the interface, but it seems to me like I'm spending a LOT less time on the amps and most of my time is working with constructing what else needs to be in the signal path and where it should sit.  I notice if select the right amp (and sometimes cabinet) the sound I want is pretty much dead on.  Maybe a few tweeks with EQ and drive parameters, and I'm where I need to be.  From there it's just adding compressor, reverbs, distortion pedals...whatever I need to fill it out and I'm done.

 

What I've also noticed is that if you start off with the wrong amp, you can spend a LOT of time trying to dial it in.  You're better off going to a different amp and seeing if that works better right out of the box.  This didn't seem to be as much the case on the HD500X, but I'm assuming that's because of the accuracy in modeling of the amps in Helix.

 

Over the last couple of days I put together four patches.  Three came together in just minutes, but one (using the Tweed Blues (Bassman)) just wasn't doing what I needed it to do, and that was what I had used for this patch on the HD500X.  I finally selected the Matchless CH.2 and had it perfect in minutes.  I guess I will need to get a lot more familiar with the sounds of the different models so I don't waste time.

 

At any rate, HUGE KUDOs to the L6 Helix team.  I know you probably get tired of the whining from the users about wanting this or that, but you've got one happy camper here.....

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At first I noticed much the same thing. But as time goes by, I also notice that it's easy to fall into the same bad habits as before. Meaning I have a tendency to zoom in to minute little details. Details that could very well be imagined, and if not imagined are so small that they may as well be. This is with just working with an amp, cab, mic, and mic placement, mostly. Then comes the other aspect of effects, how to route them, and the settings of each effect.

 

So while I agree that it is easier to dial in a base tone on Helix, the counterbalance to that is the available options. If you're a person that struggles with making decisions and generally has to see what's around the next corner, Helix can be somewhat of a hindrance because of all those options.

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Yeah, I have pretty much the same experience.

Dialed in my base tone by choosing the right amp and the rest was just adding effects and tweaking a bit for detail.

Finding the right amp cost me the most time.

After a while got a new idea for routing by looking at other's idea's.

Changed my patches within a couple of minutes, sounded even better! I'm very satisfied and use much more of my time practicing and having fun playing.

I had big difficulties finding really good tone with the HD500, took me over a Year to wrap my head around it.

Even then I was alway looking to make it better, just never seemed to be good enough.

I almost miss needing to fiddle around all the time!

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I agree with resisting the urge to fiddle.  I look at my patches and I think, "well that doesn't look very complex, maybe I need to do more".  I'm trying to kick that habit though.  Maybe we need to start a group....Tweekers Anonymous  :lol:

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Yes, I used to struggle getting the Plexi to sound good to me with the HD500. With Helix I made a few minor adjustments and am loving the Plexi (it is a good choice for a lot of the 70s hard rock we play).

 

-Max

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I agree with resisting the urge to fiddle.  I look at my patches and I think, "well that doesn't look very complex, maybe I need to do more".  I'm trying to kick that habit though.  Maybe we need to start a group....Tweekers Anonymous  :lol:

I'm in!

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It's taking me the same or longer, but my Helix patches are able to do what it took about 3 or 4 different patches on HD 500 to do.

It helps, too, that the Matchless is so great it's all I use currently.

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I am in the same boat as in being able to more quickly model in the Helix than the HD500.  It was very enjoyable rebuilding my HD500 patches (since I have to replicate 2 albums by my band live and I started recording the 3rd album with the HD500 and then switched to the Helix)

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I doubt that it's just me, but having come from the HD500X world it seems like my presets are coming together MUCH faster than before.

 

This was very deliberate on our part. The stretch goal has always been to get people to play more guitar and by extension, help take the industry back from spacebar DJs.

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Same here. Definitely a lot LESS tweaking to get a good sound from pretty much all the amps and effects that I use the most. I know I probably need to put on a flame-retardant suit for saying this, but I think that the Helix having fewer models than the HD500 might also helped with "analysis paralysis" i.e, you have a handful of very different amps and you always know which one to use, have too many very similar amps and you are never sure which one to use.
... and the routing options are way higher on my list of awesomeness than having a lot of models. I especially like the tricks where you put the reverb and delay in parallel so that the reverb does not mess up the delay repeats, also the multiple paths when used to have multiple amps in one patch and switch between them.

 

Another very happy camper here.

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Helix models sound good enough that most any amp and effect combination that fits your overall desired tone architecture will probably sound pretty good without a lot of tweaking. That definitely wasn't true of the 500X. You could tweak that thing forever and keep thinking you're just one more tweak away from the tone you want, but you never quite get there. Helix models sound enough better that almost any patch close to your needs will sound good enough to inspire you to play. Different patches sound different, not necessarily better or worse, and that can be inspiring.

 

What's tempting with all those models is to spend a lot of time on different models and effect combinations and settings, and forget to actually play the thing. Or you can have so many different tones that your listeners don't know who you are or what your "tone brand" is. There's no identity in all that variability.

 

I've found that I tend to use one Helix patch per instrument. Certainly mandolin, bass and acoustic guitar require very different patches. But if you look at my patches for these instruments, they're all organized basically the same way with similar effects playing similar roles assigned to the same foot switches. I tend to use the Deluxe bright amp most of the time into a composite IR that's pretty warm. That works great with my Strat. But with my Les Paul, I might switch to a Marshal style amp and an a brighter speaker IR since the guitar is quite a bit darker. I have each patch gain staged to get the range of tones I need. Then I focus on what I play and what I contribute as a musician to the overall sound in the song, including the tone. I rarely change patches unless I change instruments. 

 

I'm getting a little distracted these days with this new Variax Standard. Hopefully that will settle down soon.

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This characteristic has really paid off in my case.  Because we play a very wide range of styles (rock, jazz, R&B, funk, blues, country, rockabilly, etc) and I use different guitars based on the style of the song, it's just more practical for me to use a different preset for each song.  Subsequently I end up creating a LOT of patches.  Some are just duplicates with different names, but I'll ultimately end up with around 60 different patches.

 

I was hesitant to move to the Helix at first because there was no way to easily duplicate (convert) all my HD500X patches.  But because the patches are so easy to create it's turned out to not be that much of a burden.  Not to mention the improvements I'm able to make because of some of the routing options.

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Agreed. Helix is quick and easy to create great sounding presets. Models sound great with default settings. Quick and easy to adjust, even at rehearsal and live. And I keep forgetting about the pedal edit mode, which should make changes even easier.

 

I like being able to use footswitches to control model settings. It unlocks more depth live without having multiple duplicate models with different settings.

 

Using the footswitch mode with presets along the top row and stomps along the bottom row makes it really quick to change to a new preset and change a few common settings. And with a tap on the mode footswitch I can see all the other stomp switches. It's a really efficient use of the footswitches and scribble displays. With the HD500 I would forget what the footswitches do in each preset, with the eight-block display mode only showing the type of effect model, not the specific effect name. I put my own magnetic labels with effect names over each footswitch, but that really limits the range of effects in each preset, and I still end up with a few different effects in each preset so the labels don't always match the presets.

 

Compared to the HD500, I have much more confidence with knowing what will happen when hitting stomp footswitches and making changes live.

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... With the HD500 I would forget what the footswitches do in each preset, with the eight-block display mode only showing the type of effect model, not the specific effect name. I put my own magnetic labels with effect names over each footswitch, but that really limits the range of effects in each preset, and I still end up with a few different effects in each preset so the labels don't always match the presets.

 

Compared to the HD500, I have much more confidence with knowing what will happen when hitting stomp footswitches and making changes live.

 

I did not own the HD500 but I feel the same way, the scribble strips make it infinitely easier to remember what each footswitch is assigned to, especially when you custom name a multiple assignment. They also eliminate the exact issue you described with magnetic labels where most of them may apply from preset to preset but there are usually a couple that have to be kept generic (e.g. "FX1", "FX2") and consequently non-descriptive for effects that change from preset to preset. Scribble strips rock!

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Agreed. Helix is quick and easy to create great sounding presets. Models sound great with default settings. Quick and easy to adjust, even at rehearsal and live. And I keep forgetting about the pedal edit mode, which should make changes even easier.

 

I like being able to use footswitches to control model settings. It unlocks more depth live without having multiple duplicate models with different settings.

 

Using the footswitch mode with presets along the top row and stomps along the bottom row makes it really quick to change to a new preset and change a few common settings. And with a tap on the mode footswitch I can see all the other stomp switches. It's a really efficient use of the footswitches and scribble displays. With the HD500 I would forget what the footswitches do in each preset, with the eight-block display mode only showing the type of effect model, not the specific effect name. I put my own magnetic labels with effect names over each footswitch, but that really limits the range of effects in each preset, and I still end up with a few different effects in each preset so the labels don't always match the presets.

 

Compared to the HD500, I have much more confidence with knowing what will happen when hitting stomp footswitches and making changes live.

This is why I always always always had them in the same place on each preset.

 

long delay? Always one particular footswitch. Gain? always another... etc...

 

I used p-touch labels actually, but Helix makes it way way easier, doesn't it.

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One thing I've noticed is that I can get more of the amps to give me great tones. In the HD 500, I had only one amp, the /13, that gave me both a great clean and a great semi broken up lead sound. In helix I can get excellent bread and butter patches from the 13, the Z, the Shiva and the deluxe (and maybe others I haven't fully explored yet). Sometimes I can't choose!

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Not exactly the same experience but...

 

Since I'm a huge collector of crappy stuff and extraordinary gear I NEVER get rid of any music device, you know why? cuz I find inspiring any type of sound, any tone may lead me to a song or a catchy tune, so I don't feel the same as you in the transition of the LINE6 history. POD, PODxt, POD HD, now Helix

 

I am those kind of musicians that have a lot of gear from all levels and if I find an interesting bank, patch or by accident a broken cable or if a set of rusted strings sounds funny I can't avoid going deeper and use it for a better purpose

 

So, my advise is not to compare or imagine those differences for a quality "feeling", I just use it

 

I have more than 40 guitars in my studio and all are crazy modified... can you imagine a jazzbox guitar with parallel axis seymour duncan in the neck only with volume and tone control? perfectly set up with a brass saddles high grade bridge???

 

that's crazy and by far my favorite clean tone guitar

 

so I use Helix more for production and experiments than amps and stuff, although the amp modeling is miraculous

 

let's open our minds and go further

 

but of course, if you are trying to get that coveted tone from smoke on the water, whole lotta love, sweet chind o' mine, master of puppets, day tripper, etc, then you are in front of the best machine to get what ever you may need and more

 

have fun! enjoy the music as well as the silence 

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One thing I've noticed is that I can get more of the amps to give me great tones. In the HD 500, I had only one amp, the /13, that gave me both a great clean and a great semi broken up lead sound. In helix I can get excellent bread and butter patches from the 13, the Z, the Shiva and the deluxe (and maybe others I haven't fully explored yet). Sometimes I can't choose!

 

Based on what you like, try the Matchless Jump.

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Based on what you like, try the Matchless Jump.

 

I too have started a love affair with the Matchless.  I can't say I've used the jump model, but the clean and crunchy versions are miraculous quick answers to a number of different needs I have.  I used the clean just this week to put together a funk preset, and I was blown away with how well it responded.  The problem I'm going to have is trying to convince myself not to use it all the time.

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I too have started a love affair with the Matchless. I can't say I've used the jump model, but the clean and crunchy versions are miraculous quick answers to a number of different needs I have. I used the clean just this week to put together a funk preset, and I was blown away with how well it responded. The problem I'm going to have is trying to convince myself not to use it all the time.

 

That is an addictive amp! I'm going to jam with some pals this Saturday and he's playing a ac15, so I'm thinking about going with the /13, JTM and maybe something fendery, like the deluxe, just to distinguish the amp sounds a bit. It's nice to have all these flavors of awesome :)

 

I too get responsive sounds faster with Helix than with hd500. Good times.

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