Line 6 HELIX 2.20 update is awesome!

[MarkJarvis]

Line 6 HELIX 2.20 update is awesome! After installing the new update I found that the stock presets are now WAY

better. I was disappointed with the new Amp model (was expecting an awesome modern high gain distortion amp)

so not exactly what i was expecting. Other than that, personally found everything else to sound much better than

it previously did. Stock presets were not really so inspiring but they sound way better now!

 

Great job Line 6 keep em coming!

 

 

[ADBrown]

Glad you are enjoying the latest update!

[hideout]

I wish I felt the same level of excitement as the rest of you. I'm glad that bassists are now looked after but I rarely play bass anymore - even though I have three. I guess I was hoping for a few more tweaks in the effects and signal processing department. As it is, there are more than enough amp models for me. There's only one new thing - the Multiband Compressor - that I do actually want but one new effect is not enough for me to update.

[Verne-Bunsen]

Glad you're enjoying it! I haven't updated yet because work related travels have me away from my Helix. My big points of interest were the swell functions and the Clawthorn. Seeing as the swell stuff isn't getting really high marks, I think I'll hold off for now. I'm with hideout at this point, not really enough going on for me to make it worth the update ordeal. At least until the bug-fix patch that is bound to follow comes out.

[MarkJarvis]

One thing though and this may not be something already discussed. 

When restoring presents or bundles you seem to have to reload 

all the IR's? This may seem obvious but if I had say 100 IR's loaded

and then update and reloaded my preset, the preset doesnt automatically

load the IR's? So...if I forgot which one I used or if i load them in the wrong 

order its next to impossible to accurately 'restore' presets. 

[jbuhajla]

One thing though and this may not be something already discussed. 

When restoring presents or bundles you seem to have to reload 

all the IR's? This may seem obvious but if I had say 100 IR's loaded

and then update and reloaded my preset, the preset doesnt automatically

load the IR's? So...if I forgot which one I used or if i load them in the wrong 

order its next to impossible to accurately 'restore' presets. 

One thing many of us to is to put a three digit number in front of your IR file name. The three digit number represents which slot it was in. For example:

 

000-M1960_121_1

001-M1960_121_2

002-Rect_57_1

003-Rect_57_1

...

 

 

That way when you import, you can do so in order

[MarkJarvis]

Thats a great idea, thanks!

[AZGuitar]

Doing mine tonight, always updated flawlessly in the past. New MAC this time so hope all goes well.

[HonestOpinion]

One thing though and this may not be something already discussed. 

When restoring presents or bundles you seem to have to reload 

all the IR's? This may seem obvious but if I had say 100 IR's loaded

and then update and reloaded my preset, the preset doesnt automatically

load the IR's? So...if I forgot which one I used or if i load them in the wrong 

order its next to impossible to accurately 'restore' presets. 

 

I use the numbered prefix method jbuhajla recommended and find this to be the easiest and fastest method for backups and restores but an alternative method is to take and save a screenshot of your IRs using the PrtScn key on your keyboard and using that to restore presets to their proper positions.

[Guitarzman]

Line 6 HELIX 2.20 update is awesome! After installing the new update I found that the stock presets are now WAY

better. I was disappointed with the new Amp model (was expecting an awesome modern high gain distortion amp)

so not exactly what i was expecting. Other than that, personally found everything else to sound much better than

it previously did. Stock presets were not really so inspiring but they sound way better now!

 

Great job Line 6 keep em coming!

 

Totally agree!  Love the new update imo Helix has a better overall feel, more responsive and a great overall tone!

 

Thanks Line 6....   B)  

[PastorJohnLeger]

Great idea jbuhajla.  I opted to take screenshots of my list so I could restore them in order.  

[FlyingsCool]

Going forward, though, numbering is your best bet, cause you can browse and load all the presets in one shot.  Otherwise you have to load them individually.

[MusicLaw]

Also keep an eye on the HelixHelp.com site. Jason, has published an IR Manager that may help for those dealing with IRs to and from Helix. At least, it may assist before Line 6 resolves the IR housekeeping chores.

[willjrock]

Line 6 HELIX 2.20 update is awesome! After installing the new update I found that the stock presets are now WAY

better. I was disappointed with the new Amp model (was expecting an awesome modern high gain distortion amp)

so not exactly what i was expecting. Other than that, personally found everything else to sound much better than

it previously did. Stock presets were not really so inspiring but they sound way better now!

 

Great job Line 6 keep em coming!

It sounds exactly the same. Stop spreading misinformation.

[Inerzia]

Same here, I'm very happy with the new stuff. Everything is usable for me.

Those new synths are gonna get used very soon.

I put the 3 band comp on my go-to bass preset and it was like magic! 
I guess it defaults to some standard bass setup, or it was just a happy accident.

Having been using IRs since day one (with one or two exceptions) I wanted to try the new cabs anyway.
They're very good. I still prefer IRs though, specially for guitar.

Thanks again, L6, keep goin'!

[MarkJarvis]

Hey Iknowathingortwo

That may be the case for you but its noticeable (the default patches) compared to the previous firmware updates.

 

Did you actually update and review the defaults ? 

[Inerzia]

Hey Iknowathingortwo

That may be the case for you but its noticeable (the default patches) compared to the previous firmware updates.

 

Did you actually update and review the defaults ? 

Mark, you're looking for the user names in the wrong place.

Iknowathingortwo is just a forum "ranking" of sorts.

User names are on that gray bar in between posts, see it?

 

[zooey]

And you're not the first to do that :)

[MarkJarvis]

HAHA, yeah I am a noob. But not new to Line 6. I bought Helix because HD 500 did not get me there...the factory presets have not been so inspired

but this update IMO is much better!

[uelef]

What I noticed. Starting Helix needs less time â€¦ That's great. But I am disappointed about the Auto Swell pedal. I did not find any settings until now that work properly. But that should be discussed in another thread.

[willjrock]

HAHA, yeah I am a noob. But not new to Line 6. I bought Helix because HD 500 did not get me there...the factory presets have not been so inspired

but this update IMO is much better!

Its not an opinion that they sound identical, its a fact.  A provable fact, so unless you have actual proof that the presets somehow sound better, we're going to chalk it up to misinformation.

[silverhead]

Its not an opinion that they sound identical, its a fact.  A provable fact, so unless you have actual proof that the presets somehow sound better, we're going to chalk it up to misinformation.

Sorry - I'm missing your reference when you say "they sound identical". What is "they" that sound identical as a matter of fact?

[willjrock]

Sorry - I'm missing your reference when you say "they sound identical". What is "they" that sound identical as a matter of fact?

The factory presets.

[silverhead]

Actually a firmware update often changes the factory presets. New ones are sometimes added and others removed, and others are modified even if the name is not changed. It's quite plausible that factory presets sound different after a firmware update.

 

What's less frequent are changes to the overall sound engine, though they sometimes occur as well. But generally your custom presets sound the same after an update.

[willjrock]

Actually a firmware update often changes the factory presets. New ones are sometimes added and others removed, and others are modified even if the name is not changed. It's quite plausible that factory presets sound different after a firmware update.

 

What's less frequent are changes to the overall sound engine, though they sometimes occur as well. But generally your custom presets sound the same after an update.

Sure Its possible they sound different if they have changed. What the OP thinks is that all presets sound better BECAUSE of the update. He is saying that the overall sound engine sounds better...as if the update sprinkled magic dust on his Helix and made it all sound better ;) ...and not just a little better but "WAY" better.

 

After installing the new update I found that the stock presets are now WAY

better.

 

 

 

 personally found everything else to sound much better than

it previously did. Stock presets were not really so inspiring but they sound way better now!

 

Its just not true and sounds ridiculous.   

[silverhead]

Well, the release notes say this:

 

- Additions to and improvements made to the existing factory preset bundle

 

So how widespread are the improvements? I don't know. Perhaps it's not ridiculous to think that the factory presets sound better overall. But you're right that anyone who wants to prove the point might want to provide some evidence.

[HonestOpinion]

I am not in any way denying that perhaps the overall sound of the Helix or the factory presets has been improved but empirical evidence and more in-depth descriptions from L6 regarding changes are a beautiful thing. Perhaps there were some improvements to the factory presets per the release notes or even critical changes to the sound of the entire device but until someone actually shows the differences on a scope or the like between the old and new presets it is hard to be sure if the sounds have changed substantially. To be honest, I don't use the factory presets enough to know one way or the other. It would be nice if L6 provided more specifics with their general point regarding "improvements"; I would love to know exactly what they tweaked. There is the ever present placebo effect and also always the chance that the global reset changes your settings such that everything sounds better. 

 

Anyway, always glad to hear that L6 are working on "improvements" to the sound of the Helix, subtle or sweeping.  Improvements are most welcome.  It is just the retentive "anal"ytical part of my brain would love to know more precisely what they are.

[bradlake]

I am not in any way denying that perhaps the overall sound of the Helix or the factory presets has been improved but empirical evidence and more in-depth descriptions from L6 regarding changes are a beautiful thing. Perhaps there were some improvements to the factory presets per the release notes or even critical changes to the sound of the entire device but until someone actually shows the differences on a scope or the like between the old and new presets it is hard to be sure if the sounds have changed substantially. To be honest, I don't use the factory presets enough to know one way or the other. It would be nice if L6 provided more specifics with their general point regarding "improvements"; I would love to know exactly what they tweaked. There is the ever present placebo effect and also always the chance that the global reset changes your settings such that everything sounds better. 

 

Anyway, always glad to hear that L6 are working on "improvements" to the sound of the Helix, subtle or sweeping.  Improvements are most welcome.  It is just the retentive "anal"ytical part of my brain would love to know more precisely what they are.

And most likely, you will never get specifics on what the under-the-hood changes for the better occur with the modeling engine for the simple fact that each company has proprietary algos and techniques that need to remain secret to protect intellectual property etc... but DI did state that each FW contains these mystery tweaks, that to MY ears, at least, contain audible differences, mostly for the better.

[Inerzia]

So... when does 2.3 arrive? :P

[HonestOpinion]

And most likely, you will never get specifics on what the under-the-hood changes for the better occur with the modeling engine for the simple fact that each company has proprietary algos and techniques that need to remain secret to protect intellectual property etc... but DI did state that each FW contains these mystery tweaks, that to MY ears, at least, contain audible differences, mostly for the better.

 

I hear you and I am not expecting a level of detail that gets into proprietary information but there is some more detailed level of description of what was changed that lies between the incredibly general "improvements" and for example the way too granular "the values in lines 3008 and 5127 of the code were changed".  Either way I am not sitting around fretting about it and am more than happy to enjoy the benefits of a device that is constantly being improved, even if the how and what are somewhat opaque.

[Rewolf48]

An official statement from Frank:

 

 

We continually improve and optimize with each update.

 

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?posts/23885848/

[hideout]

 not really enough going on for me to make it worth the update ordeal. 

Ordeal is the operative word here.  If it were a simple and non-nerve wracking and dicey feeling experience, that would be one thing...

[benifin]

It sounds exactly the same. Stop spreading misinformation.

 

Hey.  Curious about this as Im away from my gear for another week or so ..... but ..... quite a few different people here and at  other places have said that they  "hear"  /  "feel"  that  2.20 has made the tones a bit better / nicer / realer [insert your own description]  etc.... yet that seems to be not the case with yourself  (?)

 

I dont think anyone is saying that 2.20 is a sonic "game changer"  relative to the previous fw   ... as is often expressed by some users of another well know modeller .... but the broad consensus, at least from what I can see, is that it seems that some overall  sonic  "goodness" has occured  over and above just the improved presets ......

 

Be interested to hear what people think / "hear"

 

Ben

[zooey]

Of anyone has the time to do a null test before and after, that'd be great. Done similar questions were out soundly to bed that way a while ago.

[silverhead]

Depends on the individual. Sound is very subjective. Some claim to 'hear' an improvement, and are content with that. For them there's no incentive or need to provide empirical evidence to back up their feeling. Others want objective evidence designed to somehow 'prove' an improvement.

 

So, given the subjective nature of it all, the bottom line is that anyone who wants to believe there is an improvement can do so. And anyone who wants to believe there is no improvement can find fault with any supposed evidence to the contrary and maintain their belief. It's all quite meaningless imho.

 

Does God exist? (Yes, I went there. Heaven help me!) 😇

[duncann]

Does God exist? (Yes, I went there. Heaven help me!)

 

No. :)

 

But since you went there, and assuming you met, what's he like? Anything like Chuck from the show Supernatural?

[erniedenov]

When I went from firmware 1:06.5 to 2:10 I felt fairly certain that I heard a noticeable difference for the better in my user presets. When I updated to 2:20, I didn't hear much if any difference. Maybe the tweaks are that subtle from one version to the next and it's more perceptible when you skip from a much older firmware to the latest. Or maybe it's all in our heads. 

[Guitarzman]

With every update there are variables to contend with  global reset / rebuild presets new cabs/ new amp models / new effects and even additions to and improvements to existing factory presets! You would hope that this would lead to a better tone and overall progress!

I'm am definitely loving the new 2.20 update! 

[StruckingFuggle]

I upgraded from 2.12->2.20 today.  It went without a hitch.  I followed the instructions to the letter, used the spreadsheet to make a copy of the globals (whoever posted that, thanks!!).  What I noticed is that the presets *seem* to be more consistent volume-wise from one to the next.  I remember running through the original set of presets with pre-2.12 (2.01?, not sure), and thinking "do they even test these before shipping it?".    Went back through every preset today after the upgrade.  Some presets are still very quiet compared to others, but overall it does seem like the presets have been normalized.  Completely subjective, because I'm not downgrading back to 2.12 to find out.

 

I'm definitely enjoying 2.20 more than 2.12, but mainly because I'm finally starting to find my way home with some of the models.  I now have two patches (with four snapshots) that could probably get me through an entire gig, and I'm really starting to dig the sounds.   I really wanted the 3-band compressor.  When I switch to my neck pickup I want to tame some low end.  

 

The release note clearly reference changes to the effects blocks (optimized for less intensive dsp, etc).  All the presets use something from those blocks.

[willjrock]

Of anyone has the time to do a null test before and after, that'd be great. Done similar questions were out soundly to bed that way a while ago.

 

Here ya go  :)  https://www.dropbox.com/s/p83edh9igup86if/null.mp3?dl=0

 

 

Hey.  Curious about this as Im away from my gear for another week or so ..... but ..... quite a few different people here and at  other places have said that they  "hear"  /  "feel"  that  2.20 has made the tones a bit better / nicer / realer [insert your own description]  etc.... yet that seems to be not the case with yourself  (?)

 

I dont think anyone is saying that 2.20 is a sonic "game changer"  relative to the previous fw   ... as is often expressed by some users of another well know modeller .... but the broad consensus, at least from what I can see, is that it seems that some overall  sonic  "goodness" has occured  over and above just the improved presets ......

 

Be interested to hear what people think / "hear"

 

Ben

I use 3 factory presets somewhat regularly. Each time an update comes out, somebody claims that "everything sounds better" so for each of the 3 presets i use (of course not all of them - but i dont think they would sonically upgrade everything except for the 3 factory presets i use  :) ) what i did was

 

A) Record a dry DI file

B ) reamped it thru 2.11

C) update firmware

D) reamped same DI file thru IDENTICAL preset

E) played tracks at the same time with phase flipped on one track, and the result is above.

 

Next time im going to beat everyone to the punch with a thread titled "before you go claiming the update made your helix sound better" :)

 

 

So, given the subjective nature of it all, the bottom line is that anyone who wants to believe there is an improvement can do so

 

 

 

Thats not true. It is provable that the sounds did not change. See above

 

 

null(2).mp3