Helix Native

[Peckanina]

What's everyone think of this little announcement?

[jabak]

It's a great addition to the Helix family. More helix customers means more incentive for Line 6 to push forward. It's a no brainer.

[AlexiDime]

This means I can connect my Mac via USB and double the processing power of my Helix Floor! 
I considered buying a Rack or Axe Fx because of to less CPU power for my needs but this is a game changer and costs me only 100$ instead of 1500$ or 3000$

[klangmaler]

DI posted:

 

 

 HELIX NATIVE FAQ

Wait… Is this Helix in a plugin?
Yes. Helix Native features all the amp, cab, and effects models of Helix and Helix Rack, as well as IR loading. Its presets are fully compatible with Helix and Helix Rack hardware so you can effortlessly transfer your tones from the studio to the stage and back again.

What plug-in formats are supported?
Mac and Windows, 64-bit VST3/VST2, AU, and AAX.

Will it work with iLok?
Helix Native is authorized through Line 6 License Manager which can be downloaded from www.line6.com/software. There is no licensing available through iLok.

How many computers can I install Helix Native on with a single license?
Licensing is tied to your Line 6 account and up to four computers can share a single license.

Is there a demo version to try out?
A free trial will be made available and is fully functional for 15 days.

How many parameters can be automated?
Parameters and/or block bypass states can be automated by assigning them to automation channels in your DAW (up to 16 per instance).

I don’t get it. Why would you offer all that Helix goodness in a plug-in?
Because it’s the right thing to do. Helix is all about elegant solutions to musicians’ problems, and the studio-to-stage-and-back promise was too big of a deal not to pursue. Have you ever tried to nail every guitar tone on your record for an upcoming tour? With Helix Native, potentially weeks of work could be condensed down to a minute or two.

What does Helix Native cost?
Helix Native sells for $399 USD. However, to hammer home the whole studio-to-stage thing, we’re offering a discount to registered Helix and Helix Rack owners; they can purchase Helix Native for $99. Existing POD Farm customers are eligible for certain discounts as well (TBD).

When and where?
Helix Native will be available on the Line 6 store (https://store.line6.com) in Spring of 2017

[Digital_Igloo]

The big story is the ability to take your tones from the studio to the stage and back again. A lot of bands will hire programmers to nail their album tones for the tour and the process takes days or weeks. Now the whole thing can be done in a minute or so.

 

Plus, if you're out on tour and create some cool new sounds, it takes a minute to put them back in your computer for the next album.

 

STUDIO > STAGE > STUDIO

[jmcecil]

Perfectly logical step.  Surprised it didn't happen sooner.  Looking forward to having it as a plugin.

[klangmaler]

Again:

[glideman]

H&LLs to the yeah...

[sdre9096]

Will there be a way to control the Variax without the Helix? Ie the standard dongle that comes with the JTV? 

[Palico]

Been waiting for Helix DT integration or DT replacement. But with this ability in Plug-in and integration back to the floor. Might have to make the jump and deal with MIDI cables. Well done.

[rvroberts]

If you bought your Helix for stage, it is good news.

If you bought your Helix for studio and don't play on stage, you now have a very expensive foot controller!

Well latency issues might not be as good........

Seems that there are more amps???

[kdog]

It means I will be re-entering the Line 6 fold.  :D 

[zooey]

Foot controller, edit controller, audio interface, multiple switchable loops, headphone amp, external DSP multiplier, and probably other stuff I'm not thinking of offhand.

[zooey]

This is a very interesting development, nice move, Line 6.

 

Although personally, I'm a big Scuffham and Amplitube fan, so I've already got software sims I like, and it's easy to get Helix audio into a computer if I want the specific sounds it does. I got a Helix more as as a robust live and jamming rig that DOESN'T require a computer.

 

So I don't mean to seem ungrateful, and I won't be surprised if I end up with Helix Native at some point, but what would REALLY excite me is going the other way, Helix running native plugins. Not going to happen, so there's that, but if it did, it'd change the world, bang.

 

Absent that Neverland, opening up Helix to third party developers by providing an SDK would also seriously rock the industry. Can't wait, except I have to, probably forever.

[Lachdanan0121]

 

I will just copy and paste my post from the other threat into this about it, sorry I didn't see this thread until after I posted:

 

 

FANTASTIC!

 

At first I thought wow I won't have as much use for my Helix Rack, as I do not tour.

 

Then I got to thinking of the possibilities.

 

AS it is with the hardware alone, I can ReAmp 2 guitars (1Left, 1 Right) with medium signal chains, and half the processing power for each chain.

 

With the Hardware and the plugin, I can route the left guitar to the hardware, using all of its processing power with all of its signal chains. Send the right guitar to the plugin, and use all of its signal chains. Simultaneously!!!

 

I can automate much easier, more efficient, and with less errors (pops and crackles) with the VST. I can do this with the hardware, but I need to chop my takes that I ReAmp up so they are shorter, and often have to try a few times to get it without any audio artifacts (pops and crackle). This should pose no issue with the VST end of things. So for heavy automation I will use the plugin. But for straight tone recording of a single guitar or something like that... I will use the Helix rack, as it will free up the cpu power I can spread to other plugins.

 

The hardware will always be my wet monitor, and dry recording device. the Hardware Helix will always be lower latency than the Helix Native. Also this allows me even more so to use my 11R as a back up and still get the great Helix tones if something were to happen to my Helix unit and I needed to have it sent in.

 

Transferring presets back and forth will be great.

 

Here is another "not often talked about aspect." We like the presets that some good guitarists around here dial in. But what about experienced producers? Now that Helix Native is a reality, the number of producers making guitar presets on the Helix platform will drastically improve. You will see a lot more presets with the guitar tone in the context of full mixes!

 

$399 would be robbery for the established Helix user base. $99 for Helix users is a great deal though. I for one will be picking it up shortly after its release, unless its like in the next couple weeks, lol I would like the opportunity to be able to spend the $99 and not even worry bout it. Still reeling from the holidays lol.

 

For $99 this is a great expansion of the Helix platform for studio users. None of the competition really offers this!

[Thurston9]

This is awesome! I'll definitely be buying this.

[roscoe5]

Well this pretty much puts everything I loved about the old Eleven Rack system into Helix now and more.  Thanks again Line 6!

 

P.S. My JTV Variax says hello and thank you too :)

[derboesebernd]

And will it support the Helix control? (Because that would be all sorts of cool!)

It's a possibility, but no work's been done. There is a USB port on the back of Helix Control, after all.

yes please!!! I own three helix control´s and one rack unit. i carry around the rack unit, while one control stays at home and two controls in two different rehearsal rooms. so I could only carry around my macbook pro with the helix native if I like so. and also have a perfect backup unit if the rack has a problem.
so please, please please !!! I even would pay for this option, shure !!!

 

 

 

[Yorke]

What is nice about this, I have certain patchs I love. But, when I track guitars, i tend to make them dry and then add processing during the mixing phase. And with this I am primarily talking about delays, not phasers or chorus. With this I can take the delay i was using and add it back in during mixing, rather than relying on a plug-in that might not have the same characteristics. And you have a delay that is locked into the clock of your DAW. Pretty cool. 

 

I will definitely be watching this with interest. 

[rvroberts]

As a marketing move it's going to be a deal breaker/maker for those thinking maybe Fractal or maybe Helix - this extra flexibility  - especially if owning a Helix will always give you the plugin at $99 - will make up a lot of minds.  And the expanded market has to lead to more development for us all.

[Inerzia]

Funny thing... for me it's the other way round. Live to studio is the tricky part.
As I don't want to record my delays and reverbs, I'm currently (recording and) replicating most space related fx inside Cubase. 
See, my patches are fine tuned for live use, and I'm using lots of whatever resources the Helix has on tap to make the transitions between tones as smooth and/or fluid as I possibly can, so, at the studio, I must automate all those changes, use several tracks, etc. 
I could also do whole songs in one take, but that takes more time than I normally have.
This is, as D.I. said, the logical step, and a very welcome one.

THIS is the L6 I learned to respect, and they're now at the top of their game. Keep going!!

[Rocco_Crocco]

I have no idea what you guys are talking about but I am happy for you :P

[TLF2007]

This is a really welcome add-on. Just for ease of re-amp track tweaking if nothing else. The noodle factor on dry tracks will be high! I can see a lot of sophisticated live patches coming out from the tweaks. 

[spikey]

So, a Line 6 version of "Amplitube" ?  Sorry if I sound a bit miffed but I was really hoping for many "other things" for Helix, before we moved onward. Im sure Im probably unaware that many more things are indeed coming, but still. I guess that if I can get the same tones from both the new "Helix Native" software and the old hardware (funny referring to Helix as old now), it's then worth its own salt (and my money). Its just that I have never had software (on a PC or Mac guitar wise) that matched the hardware tone wise...., yet.

[Lachdanan0121]

 I guess that if I can get the same tones from both the new "Helix Native" software and the old hardware (funny referring to Helix as old now), it's then worth its own salt (and my money). Its just that I have never had software (on a PC or Mac guitar wise) that matched the hardware tone wise...., yet.

I think that is exactly what they are aiming for.  They even state the patches are interchangeable between the plugin, and the hardware units.

But don't think this Plugin isn't going to suck some CPU down especially with complex patches. I just hope they coded it well for multi-threading. 

[bsd512]

While it is much more, this should also solve, indirectly, the requests for a standalone editor as it would presumably allow one to make patches and edits without the hardware being connected and upload them later.

[NerdOfTheYear]

While it is much more, this should also solve, indirectly, the requests for a standalone editor as it would presumably allow one to make patches and edits without the hardware being connected and upload them later.

The most exciting/important part for me is being able to have multiple instances running at once so that I can lock in my guitar and bass tone together, before exporting them to the helix. That's monstrous!!! Additionally, my band used to do silent rehearsals. Now we can also do fully silent live tone testing!!!

[Dshow]

If it has an option to mix IRs just like Redwirez mixIR2, than I'm interested for sure.

[DunedinDragon]

As for myself, this announcement just saved me $1,300 and lost Line 6 a sale of a Helix Rack unit.  I'd been planning to buy a rack unit so I could keep it connected to my studio setup and not have to use my floor unit when I record demo's of new songs for the band.  This will be perfect for my situation!!!

[kronda]

The big story is the ability to take your tones from the studio to the stage and back again. A lot of bands will hire programmers to nail their album tones for the tour and the process takes days or weeks. Now the whole thing can be done in a minute or so.

 

Plus, if you're out on tour and create some cool new sounds, it takes a minute to put them back in your computer for the next album.

 

STUDIO > STAGE > STUDIO

 

Awesome move! The days of my POD XT + POD Farm were the best, looking forward to it with my Helix...

 

Out of curiosity - why wasn't there ever a "POD HD Farm" - HD amps and fx in sw plugin form? I've been waiting for that for years and when it didn't happen I wasn't really expecting Helix Native-kind of product... So glad to be wrong about that!

[timster666]

This is great news. I just wonder if my laptop will be able run 3 or 4 tracks with Helix devices simultaneously, but in worst case, you could of course just "bounce" or "mixdown" the tracks as you go. :-)

2 things I wonder about:

 

- If I buy Helix Native with the $99 discount, because I already own a Helix floor, what would happen if I sold my Helix?
I guess the Helix Native license would become void, as the physical device would be reregistered by another user?

- There will probably be a "DSP lock" when making patches in Native, so you are sure that the patches will work properly on the physical Helix, but I wonder if it will be possible to exceed that limit for patches, only for use in Native? (badly explained,  but I hope you get my meaning)
 

[FarleyUK]

OK, I'm gonna ask something really stupid. Brace yourselves.

What exactly is this, and why would someone who owns the Helix floor / rack want this?

 

I gather it's in essence a software program that is 'Helix in a box / Helix as a service' - but can't we do this already with the editor on your computer...?

 

I realise I'm probably missing the point, so feel free to enlighten me! My scenario is I practice at home with the Helix and FrFr, and then use it on stage with the same configuration.

[timster666]

OK, I'm gonna ask something really stupid. Brace yourselves.

 

What exactly is this, and why would someone who owns the Helix floor / rack want this?

 

I gather it's in essence a software program that is 'Helix in a box / Helix as a service' - but can't we do this already with the editor on your computer...?

 

I realise I'm probably missing the point, so feel free to enlighten me! My scenario is I practice at home with the Helix and FrFr, and then use it on stage with the same configuration.

 

In my case, I would be able to leave my Helix at rehearsal, not having to bring my Helix back and forth a couple of times a week with public transport, and still be able play, tweak and record at home or where ever I want, and only bringing the Helix out for gigs. :-)

 

And I do like the idea of just bringing my laptop (which I almost always carry around anyways) to a friends house, recording with him record in Helix quality, without having to bring the rather heavy and expensive Helix always. :-)

[timster666]

OK, I'm gonna ask something really stupid. Brace yourselves.

 

What exactly is this, and why would someone who owns the Helix floor / rack want this?

 

I gather it's in essence a software program that is 'Helix in a box / Helix as a service' - but can't we do this already with the editor on your computer...?

 

I realise I'm probably missing the point, so feel free to enlighten me! My scenario is I practice at home with the Helix and FrFr, and then use it on stage with the same configuration.

 

Oh yeah, and of course I'm looking forward to real time reamping (if you can call it that) - no need to settle on amps and effects when recording, as you can always go back and easily change and experiment afterwards. :-)

 

 

 

 

[zooey]

The editor is NOT Helix in your computer, it's a computer remote for the Helix hardware, which still does all the actual processing.

 

Helix Native IS Helix on your computer. It does all the audio processing itself, no Helix hardware needed. In that respect it's like Amplitube, Scuffham, S-Gear, etc, a guitar and bass amp and fx sim plugin you can use in your DAW, without having a Helix there.

[DunedinDragon]

OK, I'm gonna ask something really stupid. Brace yourselves.

 

What exactly is this, and why would someone who owns the Helix floor / rack want this?

 

I gather it's in essence a software program that is 'Helix in a box / Helix as a service' - but can't we do this already with the editor on your computer...?

 

I realise I'm probably missing the point, so feel free to enlighten me! My scenario is I practice at home with the Helix and FrFr, and then use it on stage with the same configuration.

 

Actually, if you don't do any recording then it's probably not of great benefit to you.  As timster666 mentioned, it would be possible to leave your Helix at a rehearsal location and have the Helix Native on your computer at home to practice on.  That's not the designed purpose for it, but it could be used that way.

 

As zooey points out, Helix Native is a very LOOOOOOOOOOONG way away from the Helix editor.  The editor is a very dumb terminal application that has no internal capabilities other than to access and modify features on a hardware Helix platform.  Helix Native is really designed for people to have a software version of Helix that they can use in their recording environment with all the same capabailities as the Helix hardware.

 

To give you a real-life example of what it's designed to do.  I very often compose new material for my band.  The best way to do this is to make a demo recording of the song and distribute it to them so they can learn it before our next rehearsal.  That currently involves me hooking up my Helix pedalboard to my recording system to capture the guitar, bass and vocal elements of the track.  I don't normally have my Helix connected to my studio equipment because it's primarily used for live gigs so I have it set up in a separate area for practicing and building patches.

 

With Helix Native I'll be able to do everything right on my studio equipment, including building the correct patch for the song.  Once completed I'll simply transfer that patch from my studio to my live setup with the Helix equipment and I'm good to go.  That's the classic definition of what Line 6 was hoping to accomplish with this software.  It doesn't apply to everyone, but it's a lifesaver and massive time saver for someone like me.

[Joepeggio]

As for myself, this announcement just saved me $1,300 and lost Line 6 a sale of a Helix Rack unit. I'd been planning to buy a rack unit so I could keep it connected to my studio setup and not have to use my floor unit when I record demo's of new songs for the band. This will be perfect for my situation!!!

likely more will buy the software (helix owners) then not buy the helix, so a win-win! :)

 

my curiosity is how much cpu it will take (latency), will it "feel" as good as the real thing. It may be more dollars for many to get the necessary computer.

 

If you already have a nice top end computer, then great!! We all win and look forward to your tones! Share those presets!!!! :)

 

edit: oops . i see you have the floor already. Doh! But my point still stands.

[FarleyUK]

Cheers all!

[klangmaler]

...some folks stay as hunter-gatherers but

some arrived in the 21st century (mental actually) indeed ;)

...just my 2 cents...

[DunedinDragon]

likely more will buy the software (helix owners) then not buy the helix, so a win-win! :)

 

my curiosity is how much cpu it will take (latency), will it "feel" as good as the real thing. It may be more dollars for many to get the necessary computer.

 

If you already have a nice top end computer, then great!! We all win and look forward to your tones! Share those presets!!!! :)

 

edit: oops . i see you have the floor already. Doh! But my point still stands.

 

I suppose there might be some folks that don't perform live and just do studio work that might opt to only have the software plug-in, but I agree it's likely to be a pretty massive memory load given all the features, effects and routing options.  I think there will be some folks that are using laptops that may have a problem with it due either to processing power or memory.  I hope Line6 does a good job of specifying requirements or they may have some very unhappy customers.