Helix compared to PODHD500X?

[gbr13697]

I am thinking about getting a Helix.  I have used a POD HD500X for a while now, having also used a Boss GT-100, and I have found the number of slots available for effects etc rather limiting.

8 slots seems fine at first, but comparison with the GT-100 shows that it is far less generous.  On the GT-100 there are “built in†slots for Compression, Pedal, Overdrive, EQ, Foot Volume, 2 x Noise Gates, an additional amp, Send/Return, Chorus, Delay, Reverb.  That’s 12 slots (all of which have choices of pedal/amp within type) plus FX1 and FX2 which can be assigned from a large selection of pedals.  That’s 14 in all.  Many of these are items are “bread and butter essentialsâ€, particularly when using just effects and no amps with the 4 cable method.  On the GT100, all the essentials are there, with a few luxuries, and still space for the odd gimmick.

With no amp in the POD HD500x, and using the 4 cable method, slots have to be used for EQ, volume, Send/Return, and Noise Reduction.  Most people would struggle without Delay, Reverb, Compression, and Overdrive, and that’s all 8 slots gone.  There are lots of other effects available on the POD, but the only real way of using them is by devoting a patch to each and dumping something else.  Not a very convenient solution for a “stomp box pedalboardâ€.

How does the Helix compare in practice?

[jbuhajla]

I am not at my Helix at the moment so I am making a guess at this. I am thinking that there are 8-10 "slots" available on each of the 4 paths (paths can be ran serially, parallel, independent), which gives you 32-40 available slots for effects, amps, cabinets, IRs, etc...

 

Again, I am guessing at this number. I have never ran out of slots. You generally run out of processing power before running out of space on your preset. 

[PeterHamm]

In practice? You will easily get 16 FX total if you aren't using amps/sims. You may get to 24. Even if you subtract those things you talk about, you are still way way above what a GT100 and an HD 500 are capable of. But you only get 10 stomp foot switches (8 on LT), so consider that. 

 

imho, the power of Helix is about 2.5 X what I had in HD 500 for most patches, somewhere around 3X for others.

 

Oh, and it sounds noticeably better.

 

And it's insanely easy to use.

[lungho]

The patch building process is extremely flexible.  I find it hard to run out of DSP and a lot of my patches have multiple delays and modulations.  The switching and routing options with Helix are nothing short of awesome.  And as already mentioned, the interface is insanely easy.

[gbr13697]

Thank you all for the replies.  That's what I needed to know, but isn't easy to glean from the info/reviews etc.

I like my amps, and I only use the emulated amps occasionally for special purposes.  Otherwise I'm just looking for a stomp box with easily accessible "multi-effects" to a reasonable quality.

The quality of most on the POD or the GT100 is reasonable with exceptions.  It was just that the POD makes them very hard to use efficiently, and I didn't want to spend a lot of money to get better effects if the were just as hard to build into versatile patches.

[PeterHamm]

The quality of most on the POD or the GT100 is reasonable with exceptions.  It was just that the POD makes them very hard to use efficiently, and I didn't want to spend a lot of money to get better effects if the were just as hard to build into versatile patches.

 

 

I found the POD very easy to program using the editor, and to be honest, once I forced myself to learn the front panel, not much harder, and a handful of things is actually easier on the unit than the software.

 

Helix is a different beast. When I first got it, I printed a manual. I lost the manual a couple days later, misplaced it in my office.

 

Didn't bother looking for it.

 

Didn't find it for another month or two.

 

In 2 days or less, you can know everything you need about Helix, and it's just as easy (easier for most stuff imho) from the front panel as using the software.

[jbuhajla]

I only use the software for preset/file management and backups. I program all of my presets on the Helix itself. I also don't use any real amps or stand alone effects effects any more. At home I use just Helix with a pair of powered PA/FRFR speakers. Out of the house, play direct to front of house with in-ear monitors. Helix does sound that good, and is so much easier to transport. One case for Helix and a gig bag with a couple of guitars...DONE.