BigRalphN Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Ok. I know this is one of those WTF posts but I have to release my thoughts. I bought an AX8 because we needed a second device for the Praise Band at church ( mostly rock/pop) and I have wanted one just because(GAS). So I get my new AX, okay with it briefly the first day, then my favorite device, The Helix, release a major update the very next day. Now my brain is frying as I try to decide which device to play with. I love the new 2.0 Helix and want to setup snapshots for all of my live patches including the on we made from scratch. But I want to mess with the AX. Load more Fremens presets and do some volume leveling to us live. So I sit here head sling with smoke coming out of my ears trying to decide what to p,at with now. By the way, is anyone else having trouble remembering the name SNAPSHOTS and calling it Scenes all of the time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 By the way, is anyone else having trouble remembering the name SNAPSHOTS and calling it Scenes all of the time? Nope - they're "SNAPSHOTS" to me. But, there again, I'm not going cross-platform and suffering from GAS and headaches like you are! Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoe5 Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Ha, get a bigger pedal board and run both to expand your amp / cab library...Helix can handle the routing and control ;) Heck, maybe you could use the AX8 as a MIDI PC controller for Helix presets/snapshots and keep Helix in stomp mode all of the time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regalpierot Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 @datacommando, bit of an unnecessarily snippy answer there, the dude was just posing a quandary. @BigRalphN - After many years of being a gearwhore, I have to say I am a firm believer in addition by subtraction. When you have multiple units that do essentially the same thing you really do have to tax your brain with learning the different workflows, options, functions, menus etc and unless you mirror preset names and general configurations you'll have to be mindful when playing each. And all the while not a single audience member or parishioner will really care about what is making the sounds come out of your guitar. So it's Helix alone for me, and bit by bit I'm committing the workflow to muscle memory so spending more time on the fun part, namely playing. So my advice, if you have the will power, sell one and settle on the other. If you absolutely need a backup get two of the same device. Easiest way to master something, which in the short , medium and long term is just a better route. But to each their own. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRalphN Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 @datacommando, bit of an unnecessarily snippy answer there, the dude was just posing a quandary. @BigRalphN - After many years of being a gearwhore, I have to say I am a firm believer in addition by subtraction. When you have multiple units that do essentially the same thing you really do have to tax your brain with learning the different workflows, options, functions, menus etc and unless you mirror preset names and general configurations you'll have to be mindful when playing each. And all the while not a single audience member or parishioner will really care about what is making the sounds come out of your guitar. So it's Helix alone for me, and bit by bit I'm committing the workflow to muscle memory so spending more time on the fun part, namely playing. So my advice, if you have the will power, sell one and settle on the other. If you absolutely need a backup get two of the same device. Easiest way to master something, which in the short , medium and long term is just a better route. But to each their own. I agree with you. The thing the powers that be decided no amps alike back. We generally run with two electrics so we need the second processor. I generally play rhythm there so I would let the lead use the helix as it sounded so much better than the other unit. So now I can actually use my Helix. I will have to setup the AX fir the other guys. One is my son so he can co e over and get his stuff tweaked. The other guy will just have to use what we set up. But it's going to drastically improve our overall sound. I didn't take his comment as snippy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 @datacommando, bit of an unnecessarily snippy answer there, the dude was just posing a quandary. Ye Gods - here we go again. Not snippy, dude, more my feeble attempt at humour - but as usual it gets misconstrued as a jibe. Has everyone on this forum had a sense of humour bypass operation. :) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRalphN Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 Ye Gods - here we go again. Not snippy, dude, more my feeble attempt at humour - but as usual it gets misconstrued as a jibe. Has everyone on this forum had a sense of humour bypass operation. :) I didn't take it as snippy. I chuckled. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoe5 Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I agree with you. The thing the powers that be decided no amps alike back. We generally run with two electrics so we need the second processor. I generally play rhythm there so I would let the lead use the helix as it sounded so much better than the other unit. So now I can actually use my Helix. I will have to setup the AX fir the other guys. One is my son so he can co e over and get his stuff tweaked. The other guy will just have to use what we set up. But it's going to drastically improve our overall sound. Interesting and beautiful dilemma. Either way, you get to still enjoy both in some capacity. You should still retain the right to change your mind at any time ;) Dang, you are going to be the Helix vs AX8 expert! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I think you just need to try to look at each unit as objectively as possible and see what features each has that are important to you. From my perspective, there are few features the Helix has that AX8 simply doesn't that seem to make the overall experience of using the Helix more pleasant to me. To me those are the scribble strips, the large color screen, and the added I/O options. I guess it depends on how much those things matter to you. Personally, I find the Helix just as easy, if not easier, to use than a standard pedalboard when I'm playing live. Because of the scribble strips, I'm not relying on memory or even looking at the LCD display to recall which things I have assigned to the footswitches. I honestly probably wouldn't use a multi-fx solution live if it didn't allow me to do this. Other people have different priorities, though. I mean if you need to adjust 86 parameters in the amp block (I'm not making that number up, btw), the AX8 will let you do that. The Helix obviously doesn't. The AX8 gives you the ability to deep dive into all sorts of things. If your the person who's into that, well, maybe the AX8 is your jam then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I didn't take it as snippy. I chuckled. Thanks Ralph, It was meant as light amusement, but my big clumpy hands must be far too heavy on this keyboard. As noted previously - Have fun with your new toy. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRalphN Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 I think I should point out again that this was a need. Sure it ties in with my GAS but we have been talking about improving our setup dr since we started using the Helix. I know people that love the HD Series stuff but the HD400 never did cut it for us. We were constantly getting in the looper by accident. We never got a decent tone for our system (one player could coax some ok stuff out) and adjustments and editing through the layers was a pain. I also never liked the effects knobs on the unit. It adjusted one parameter and just a tiny tweak to far would jump you to the next effect. He AX is no where near as friendly as the Helix but it is a lot nicer than the HD400 (that is my experience. No HD lovers attacking me please ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRalphN Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 I think you just need to try to look at each unit as objectively as possible and see what features each has that are important to you. From my perspective, there are few features the Helix has that AX8 simply doesn't that seem to make the overall experience of using the Helix more pleasant to me. To me those are the scribble strips, the large color screen, and the added I/O options. I guess it depends on how much those things matter to you. Personally, I find the Helix just as easy, if not easier, to use than a standard pedalboard when I'm playing live. Because of the scribble strips, I'm not relying on memory or even looking at the LCD display to recall which things I have assigned to the footswitches. I honestly probably wouldn't use a multi-fx solution live if it didn't allow me to do this. Other people have different priorities, though. I mean if you need to adjust 86 parameters in the amp block (I'm not making that number up, btw), the AX8 will let you do that. The Helix obviously doesn't. The AX8 gives you the ability to deep dive into all sorts of things. If your the person who's into that, well, maybe the AX8 is your jam then. The Helix will be MINE at live stuff. LOL. I seriously thought about another Helx but my son loans on buying a Helix for himself so I thought why not add sonnet hint different tha we can still use to our advantage live. And us, I went to do a little tweak on an amp the first time on the AX8 and was like WTF! Where do I start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrellM5 Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 1st World Problems. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterHamm Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 The AX8 blows. It's a worthless hunk of junk. Send it to me and I'll get rid of it for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glideman Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 The AX8 blows. It's a worthless hunk of junk. Send it to me and I'll get rid of it for you. LoL!!! ***Sarcasm meter alert*** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulkbooth Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 :Ptypical I've got problems also - they released the 2.0 software just the same day I left for vacation (so I'm not at home :() PS: I don't know what "scenes" is. Never heard about it. But I love the "snapshots" :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mileskb Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Ye Gods - here we go again. Not snippy, dude, more my feeble attempt at humour - but as usual it gets misconstrued as a jibe. Has everyone on this forum had a sense of humour bypass operation. :) Seriously... I'm with ya.. I understand the concept of scenes... Helix uses Snapshots... it's completely different, at least in my experience. I like the idea of Snapshots more. To me scenes, be they for effects units or lighting rigs are more like selecting between certain presets, not only with spillover as an important detail but with control of how fast the transition happens, and maybe even the automation (levels rise or fall rather than switch). Snapshot is just as it is. These parameters of this preset, or those parameters of this preset.... but it's still one preset.. and thanks to two pretty powerful DSP's with a reasonable amount of memory... there is a TON of flexibility here. I think Snapshots makes more sense for guitar players.. I guess my brain is wired what when I hear scene... I think lighting... and think fades and apertures changing.. but I couldn't think of a better word than Scene for what people were describing for AxFx and Helix... so I went with it... but as soon as I heard "Snapshot" I kinda had an idea of what they were before I looked it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Why don't Line6 and Fractal just get it over with already, time for a merger. I want my next MFX to be a Fractal Helix :D I guess a little healthy competition is good though too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.