adrock5150 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Can Helix replicate complex signal chains like shown in these professional signal chain posters? They look a bit more complex than what Helix can deal with, but that's what I am after with Helix. https://www.pinterest.com/danbromusic/guitar-signal-chains/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence_Arps Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 you are missing the point. People with more money than sense (and roadies) have these massive rigs so they can quickly access a few sounds...maybe as many as 20 - 30 even. These rigs are not as flexible as a Helix where every patch can be a different signal chain - so you can have hundreds of signal chains. Debates on which one sounds better to follow no doubt.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verne-Bunsen Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I should think Helix can definitely handle that. It's hard to make it all out exactly as the image is a bit lo-res, but it basically looks like a guitar with a wireless unit into some effects through a switching device then to the amps, with hardware to handle amp switching. At a guess, "Mad" and "Pissed" could probably be handled by a single instance of one of the Marshall heads (2204 Mod maybe?) with different settings assigned to Snapshots or a footswitch. Two cabs could be loaded and assigned to switch by the same command, or one IR block set to switch between two IRs with said command. And there's no reason that all of it has to be in the same patch. It's a good bet Jerry doesn't use all of that in any given song. Give it a whirl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunedinDragon Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I'm not sure if I'd refer to that rig as "professional" or "ego-maniacal gearhead". It's real simple. With that rig can you decide to place the compressor post amp for a song then back to pre amp for the next? How about increasing the depth and/or rate of the chorus during a song using one of the pedals? Better yet, how about switching the speakers from Celestion G12H's to Electro-Voice EVM-12L mid-song? Now to me...THAT would be "professional" abilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Can Helix replicate complex signal chains like shown in these professional signal chain posters? They look a bit more complex than what Helix can deal with, but that's what I am after with Helix. https://www.pinterest.com/danbromusic/guitar-signal-chains/ If you're actually playing to a sea of writhing humanity, packed in like sardines and stretching to the horizon, then you're already paying someone else to worry about that crap for you. Show up, play the tunes, find tonight's wife, and get back on the bus... And if you're playing to 17 binge drinkers down at Paddy's Dry Heave (where the homeless drink free on Tuesdays), then a rig that "professional" won't fit through the door anyway. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyXT Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 When you decode that, it's mostly routing of devices into a loop-management switcher - makes it look worse/more complex than it really is. Helix has 4 such loops physically with send/return jacks, plus internally it works in its virtual world in similar fashion. I'd have to look deeper to see what's up with series/parallel routing and such, but it's not as crazy as it looks at a glance with all those cables represented graphically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 As others have pointed out, much of what is shown in that illustration above can be accomplished internally with the Helix. Short of an expensive custom made switching system the Helix has more potential for complex routing and control than just about anything else out there, certainly at its price. You have all the internal routing, amp & effect models, a variety of output options, four effect loops, and the ability to setup complex footswitching scenes (snapshots) that include MIDI. I can see someone requiring something like multiple RJM Gizmo devices for more complex MIDI or amp switching with multiple amps as there is only one external amp control output and some limitations as to what can be done with MIDI on the Helix. I couldn't possibly say it any better than cruisonon2, if you need something like the illustration above you either have roadies to hopefully help with it, are looking at a back problem in your immediate future, or you are setting this up in a fixed studio or rehearsal space. I have seen users on this forum post pictures of their setups that are not too far from this with perhaps the exception of having several of the pedals replaced with Helix effects so you are not alone in wanting to set up a rig similar to this illustration. To me the whole point of the Helix is to eliminate these kinds of setups, emulate the rack effects, pedals, and amps, and streamline my rig, but to each their own. You can accomplish this (and much simpler) setups without all the cables, amps, cabs, rack gear, pedals, etc.. However, if this sort of setup is your goal I could easily see using the Helix as its central nervous system, possibly requiring a couple of ancillary devices like the RJMs depending on your switching requirements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I agree with what others sad above. There's nothing really all that complicated about many of these rigs when you get down to it. The complexity lies in the fact that many of them are using loop switchers with MIDI controllers, so that entails running all sorts of cables, bringing stuff in and out, etc. It gets a little more complex if they use more than one amp, but even, then, Helix can that. In the analog world, one huge point of using bypass loopers is to preserve the integrity of the dry signal going to the amp. With the Helix, with everything "in the box" it doesn't matter if you have two pedals or 20 in front of the amp, the bypassed signal will be exactly the same. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterHamm Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I have made patches with 3 or 4 signal chains with upwards of 25 FX going at once......more than that... and I'll just hurt people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingSquirrel Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Coming from experience of having had a 20 space rack full of everything at the tune of $12k when I was touring, I'm quite glad for the floor modelling units like the HD500X that I currently have, or the Helix. When your rig has to pay a cover charge because it is so big, it becomes more of a burden than a resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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