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Helix sounds boxy through studio monitors


vertigo84
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Hello,

 

I am running my helix through a pair of mackie CR4. The clean tones are quite ok while the overdriven ones are kind of boxy.

 

Do you think I can solve the problem by replacing the cr4 with monitors having a larger woofer?

 

Thanks.

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The Mackie CR4 speakers aren't really studio monitors so to speak.  They're really designed to be top end computer speakers, so it could well be they just aren't up to the task on hard overdriven tones.  It's hard to say without any comparison to a high end set of headphones or anything else.  I would say if you're getting the boxy tones out of the supplied presets that came with the Helix then it's a good bet the speakers just aren't up to that.

 

You could always order a decent pair of studio monitors from Sweetwater or Musician's Friend and try them out.  If they aren't an improvement you could return them.

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Hello and thanks for the replies.

 

Sounds like I need a pair of decent monitors. What about the yamaha hs7? They seem highly regarded on the forum.

 

I've checked the global settings and the output level is set to line.

 

I also have an OT question. When connecting the helix via usb to my pc, the volume knob affects also the volume coming out of my pc (like spotify, youtube, etc). Is there a way to have the volume knob only controlling the helix volume? In the global settings I was only able to set the db value of the usb out.

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The Yamaha HS7 monitors are pretty decent.

 

If your goal is setting up sounds to be played live, I'd try to monitor thru a rig similar/identical to what you'll be using live.

Even with a great pair of studio monitors, the 8" woofer isn't going to have the same bottom end as a 12" or 15" PA speaker.

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At the moment helix is mostly for home use. The studio/room is quite small (about 12m2) and even if I was considering a FRFR speaker, I am afraid it is too much for the present use.

 

Does PA speaker sounds good at bedroom level?

Anything can be MADE to sound good at any volume... the question is, how much manipulation will be required to get there, and how "transferable" will a given patch be to a different listening method? Every speaker and/or pair of monitors is different. At home, 98% of my playing is through a small pair of JBL monitors (LSR305). Live I go straight to the PA and I have an L2T that I use as a floor monitor. For the most part I have separate sets of patches for home and live use... but there are a handful that can be used in either setting and sound more or less the same, and require only slight adjusting from one setting to the other. Others will sound drastically different, and would have to be entirely re-worked. It seems to have more to do with the amp model in question more than anything else...why, I have no idea.

 

What's the point of all this? Two things:

 

1) You can probably get the sound you're looking for from the speakers you already have, it will just require some work.

 

2) It is a virtual certainty that anything else you purchase will require just as much tweaking as what you've already got. The odds of being instantly thrilled with your tone the second you plug them in is essential zero.

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I can get nice clean tones but as soon as I add an od block or a use a high gain amp, the tone gets boxy and kind of muffled.

 

I did tweak quite a bit, added eq blocks, high cut, low cut, parallel cabs, followed the good advices here on the forum but I am still not happy with the combo od tones + mackie cr4. So, assuming that the cr4 are the weak point of the system, moving to nicer monitors or to a PA speaker should help.

 

At least I hope so because I have recently spent more time tweaking than actual playing and I am starting to ask myself why I spent all this time with the helix instead of playing my tubes amps which sound so much better and are way more plug and play.

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I can get nice clean tones but as soon as I add an od block or a use a high gain amp, the tone gets boxy and kind of muffled.

I did tweak quite a bit, added eq blocks, high cut, low cut, parallel cabs, followed the good advices here on the forum but I am still not happy with the combo od tones + mackie cr4. So, assuming that the cr4 are the weak point of the system, moving to nicer monitors or to a PA speaker should help.

At least I hope so because I have recently spent more time tweaking than actual playing and I am starting to ask myself why I spent all this time with the helix instead of playing my tubes amps which sound so much better and are way more plug and play.

I hear ya. I went through the same thing. I hooked up the Helix to my tube amp and monitor myself. Took quite a while to get satisfied with the sound but it was possible. But then I was curious as to what I was missing with an FRFR speaker. As soon as I got one it was much easier for me to dial in the sound I wanted. The convenience is well worth it for me and it totally improved my experience.

 

Try the Yamaha DXR10. There's a recent thread on it I just read up on which you probably already saw.

 

At the end of the day, you just want to be happy and validate your purchase. It's a good decision and a great product but that's just its nature. Hope you find what best complements your Helix. I know you will because a majority of us have.

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At least I hope so because I have recently spent more time tweaking than actual playing and I am starting to ask myself why I spent all this time with the helix instead of playing my tubes amps which sound so much better and are way more plug and play.

 

What in the world made you think the Helix was plug and play??  I guess if you just used the presets that came with the unit it might be, but to take advantage of all the versatility it provides it's about the furthest thing from plug and play I could imagine...  ;)

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What in the world made you think the Helix was plug and play??  I guess if you just used the presets that came with the unit it might be, but to take advantage of all the versatility it provides it's about the furthest thing from plug and play I could imagine...  ;)

I am really not saying that, my point being that I spend a lot of time tweaking to sound worse than I used to. I don't want and don't expect the helix to be plug and play but I want it to sound good after the right amount of tweaking. Defining the right amount of tweaking I think is kind of personal, but I am at a point where it bothers me spending 10 hrs tweaking and 1 hr playing and still being unhappy with my tone.

 

Please note that I am principally blaming my monitors for that and starded this post asking for suggestions.

 

Cheers.

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