I think I finally have it!

[jmp22684]

Nothing extremely useful here... Just finally got thw tones nailed!

 

Went from day 2 with the helix sounding like it was in a box to this.

 

I have gotten pretty good tones from it, but I am that tone hunter. I came from tube amps and love the dynamics you get from them. I bought a tube preamp and put it in a loop between amp and cab blocks... No difference WHAT SO EVER... Just to make sure it wasn't me I set it up to turn the loop on and off as I played a song and had others listen... The MP tube pre did nothing. Using that as a DI box for a bass now, so no loss there.

 

Still editing, reading and reading and reading... These forums, audio engineering books, sites, videos, frequency analysis, wave forums, getting worse and worse on the guitar because of spending so much time with this instead of practicing.

 

Coming really close all the time, but never quite there.

 

I should note that I only use 2 different amp models for 4 basic sounds: clean, clean on edge of break up, crunch, modern high gain. I do have 30 patches but only for the reason of ordering them to our setlist to avoid clicking around too much. They are all basically the exact same thing but effects vary a little bit. Changing amp models all the time would just be a nightmare to try and run sound for.... The SMG Studio shirt says it all (excuse language) "Having 40 patches doesn't make you a good guitar player. It makes you an lollipop."

 

So my time has been spent just trying to find that one or two amps, IRs and EQ setting that. are. perfect. period.

 

Try out a few new things this last Saturday with a few new IRs and reprogram the entire setlist.

 

Who shows up to the gig? A whole slew of the classic rock and blues members from the local clubs. We're talking old school fantastic players that have the kalamazoo les pauls, the vintage tube amps to die for... They sound good and can be a bit critical about setup and gear choices.

 

Finish up the set they arrived during and get informed that they want to talk to me.

 

The compliments were flying in!

 

How did you get that sound with out an amp up there?

The dynamics where amazing! Sounded just like a tube amp!

The mix was perfect! You could hear everyone perfectly and the guitar wasn't over bearing.

More and more compliments....

 

Not to toot the horn... But.... YEAH.... GOING TO TOOT AWAY HERE!

 

Its been 3 months now and with my old band/old rig I used to get compliments like "best guitarist I have ever heard live!" (yeah I'm allowed to be proud of that!)

 

Since the new group and equipment change I wasn't practicing so much and still dinking around tweaking ... Still got compliments for the new group of, "you guys sound great, your singer is amazing!"

 

Yeah thanks.... And in the back of my head ... "Bite me" .... I do have to admit though our singer is truely exceptional. One of the best singers I have ever worked with!

 

So for the first time at this last show after some new methods I was trying... Someone steps out, "the guitar was amazing!" looked at the singer "you're and excellent singer too"

 

I shot a look to the singer and said "ha!" ... Its been a small running joke now.

 

I run a very slight 10 ms delay/mod after one of the IRs... Gives it a HUGE 3d sound that separates beautifully and leaves room down the middle for the singer.... Ran that into a mono monitor and it sounded like crap! Haha... Went to the board and un-linked the channels, killed the right channel feed to the monitors... Much better!

 

Pop a 10 ms delay on one side with a full wet mix and then a mono block after it. Thats what it sounded like.

 

Now I will add this: I was running my PA system that night. So I have the advantage that all my tweaking is done on the same system at the same volume it will be heard at a venue. I also always multi track record us... So when I tweak the EQ I am doing it with a recording of the full band piping through the PA so I'll know exactly how I sit in the mix. Not everyone has the same gear and access to this ability.... That also means I get scared to death every time I have to play through a PA that isn't mine. I didn't get a massive PA but I did get a good PA. All new, all digital, firewire, computer run, $7000 PA system.... So seeing a system that looks like it was put together from craigslist and knowing I need to rely on it scares me pretty bad... And I don't have an amp anymore... I sold all my amps, two guitars (even my old gibson firebird), ect to buy this PA. Because with the Helix I don't really need an amp. But it still makes me nervous. At least if I had an FRFR amp I could pop a mic on it and then now exactly how its sounding.

 

 

Anyways... Enough of this rant... I am just really happy finally... The moral here is that if you aren't getting your holy grail tube tone from the helix you really only have two options. Spend the next 3 months reading, learning, tweaking, deleting, listening, reading, popping in and out of audio forums, ect... OR... get a tube amp.

 

It isn't the HELIX it is fully capable!!!!

 

Again... Incase that wasnt heard... The helix is fully and completely capable...

 

Just... Not out of the box.

 

I also have the advantage of playing for a living... So 3 months of reading and tweaking was a solid 3 months of learning and experimenting... Not a little fiddling when I got out of work.

[tschwarzl]

Would you please share the preset?