Helix cab settings - early reflections

[SCOTTIEWEADES]

I just wanted to post my results using the Helix.

--I'm still learning it.. of course--

 

I use the Helix with left and right L2T FRFR speakers for a stage amp. (connected with L6 Link.

XLR are going to the house PA (using xlr to TRS adapters, to avoid worrying about phantom power issues).

 

I read on a post here by Verne-Bunsen about the use of custom IR's... and his success in using the factory ones.

 

He posted  getting good results with helix factory cabs by adjusting the early reflections settting, usually down.

seemed to be a big difference between the amp+cab combo and separate amp separate cab, separate being better.

 

Thank You Verne-Bunsen for that post.

 

 

That... worked perfectly !!! now I am very happy with the sound's I'm getting.

 

I have 3 guitars connected simultaneously .

 

Guitar in  =  2016 American Strat with Seymour Duncan STK and Hotrails in the bridge position, with orange cap tone mod.

Return 1 = 2012 Gibson SG 61' reissue (added an eq block with -5 gain reduction)

Aux in = 2017 Gibson Hummingbird limited acoustic.

 

NO switching required... I just pick up the guitar I want and play.... (I just have to remember to turn the volume down on the other guitars)

 

I use a dual delay block and/or stereo chorus block to make left and right sound fully stereo.

 

**for the acoustic I set up a footswitch to toggle the volume of the L6 Link signal going to the stage FRFR between 20% and 60%.

 

 

the signal going out to the house PA and monitors is full volume and set on the house mixer.

 

 

Very very happy with the Helix...  now I just need to play better. (you would think after 49 years of playing ... ah nevermind)

 

 

 

that is all.

[HonestOpinion]

I keep three guitars plugged in simultaneously

 

On the Helix back panel

1. electric guitar --> "Guitar" input --> output to the 1/4 & XLR outputs
2. acoustic guitar --> "Aux" input --> output to Send 1
3. Variax --> Variax input. --> output to 1/4 & XLR outputs

Helix Input Block Settings

1. electric guitar --> "Guitar"
2. acoustic guitar --> "Aux"
3. Variax --> "Variax"

Helix Output Block Settings

1. electric guitar --> 1/4 & XLR
2. acoustic guitar --> "Send 1"
3. Variax --> 1/4 & XLR

 

Since I found that I rarely to never needed the same preset for all three of these guitars I just use different presets for each guitar (electric, acoustic, Variax). This means only one guitar is active on any given preset. If I really need to use both an acoustic and electric on the same song I can use the Variax or if absolutely necessary dial up a special preset that allows both (but generally I don't). I use different Helix 'Input' and 'Output' block settings, and the 1/4 & XLR outputs are allotted to the electric and Variax, whereas the 'Send 1' output on the Helix is used for the acoustic guitar. The Variax gets its own selection of presets. I send the XLR out for my electric guitar as well as the Variax to one channel on the PA and I send the acoustic guitar which is being output from "Send 1" to another channel on the PA. The 1/4 jack goes to my stage monitor.

 

The virtue of this setup is I never have to worry if the volume is down for any of my instruments. Only one guitar can hit the PA and stage monitor on any given preset. They are either being input/output via a different Helix 'Input' or 'Output' block setting or they are being input/output via different jacks on the Helix back panel. Also, due to the fact that my acoustic and electrics get different channels on the PA I can EQ the PA seperately to fit the acoustic and electric which in my opinion require very different EQ cuts and boosts. Whatever works for you though. Just thought I would share a different approach.

[FlyingsCool]

I just wanted to post my results using the Helix.

--I'm still learning it.. of course--

 

I use the Helix with left and right L2T FRFR speakers for a stage amp. (connected with L6 Link.

XLR are going to the house PA (using xlr to TRS adapters, to avoid worrying about phantom power issues).

 

I read on a post here by Verne-Bunsen about the use of custom IR's... and his success in using the factory ones.

 

He posted  getting good results with helix factory cabs by adjusting the early reflections settting, usually down.

seemed to be a big difference between the amp+cab combo and separate amp separate cab, separate being better.

 

Thank You Verne-Bunsen for that post.

 

 

That... worked perfectly !!! now I am very happy with the sound's I'm getting.

 

I have 3 guitars connected simultaneously .

 

Guitar in  =  2016 American Strat with Seymour Duncan STK and Hotrails in the bridge position, with orange cap tone mod.

Return 1 = 2012 Gibson SG 61' reissue (added an eq block with -5 gain reduction)

Aux in = 2017 Gibson Hummingbird limited acoustic.

 

NO switching required... I just pick up the guitar I want and play.... (I just have to remember to turn the volume down on the other guitars)

 

I use a dual delay block and/or stereo chorus block to make left and right sound fully stereo.

 

**for the acoustic I set up a footswitch to toggle the volume of the L6 Link signal going to the stage FRFR between 20% and 60%.

 

 

the signal going out to the house PA and monitors is full volume and set on the house mixer.

 

 

Very very happy with the Helix...  now I just need to play better. (you would think after 49 years of playing ... ah nevermind)

 

 

 

that is all.

 

I actually got a nice low level feedback backing track to my playing at one jam session once.... when I forgot to turn down my other guitar (or maybe turned it down not quite enough)

 

Listened to the recording of the session "What's that???... ohhhh"  :P

 

I guess I was lucky it was in key, haha :)

[HonestOpinion]

I actually got a nice low level feedback backing track to my playing at one jam session once.... when I forgot to turn down my other guitar (or maybe turned it down not quite enough)

 

Listened to the recording of the session "What's that???... ohhhh"  :P

 

I guess I was lucky it was in key, haha :)

 

Heh, same thing happened to me on several occasions and is ultimately what prompted me to shift over to the approach detailed above.   :P

 

When I first got my Helix I went through some intensive preset design sessions trying to stuff my acoustic and electric into the same preset so I would always have the option. I ultimately found I usually did not require both guitars in a song and the presets of course generally needed to be vastly different for acoustic and electric. I guess all approaches are valid though, especially if you are attentive enough to remember to turn the volume up when you switch guitars and back down on the guitars not in use.  I am not!  :)

[GenoBluzGtr]

Is there a danger that at some point, during the gig, you'll need to use guitar A instead of guitar B and not be able to make the switch in a timely fashion?  

 

I would love to have multiple guitars plugged in and "ready to go", and I like the scheme, but too many times I would "prefer" or "plan" to use a Tele on a particular song, but based on how that guitar is sounding that night or (and this is more likely) the rest of the band decides to jump immediately to the next song on the set list and I don't have time to make the switch.  

[SCOTTIEWEADES]

Honest Opinion...

that's also a good way to handle multiple guitars.. (actually now that you mention it, my acoustic is a different patch, too) just not the electric guitars. 

 

it's great that the Helix is versatile enough (in regard to signal routing) to allow us all to use different approaches.

 

I'm thinking about a variax, in which case I would have to incorporate some of the method you are using.

 

as with You and Flyingscool - I've had the low level ringing and had to turn it off, which made me make a mistake on the intro... but I 'm getting conditioned now to check first.

I've been sort of arranging my set list to play the same guitar on a couple of songs, before I switch but not all the time.

 

GenoBluzGtr...

I know what you mean... I'm calling the songs, so not an issue for me .. haha

but yeah.. I guess that's where the variax has an advantage...

but I just spent too much money on a nice acoustic, so I"m not quite ready to go variax...  at least this month.

 

sometimes depending on the mood in the club at the time, I choose a song to start as the previous song is ending...

in that case... I just have to use the same guitar.

 

I considered different patches but I am using different patches to switch between amps... instead. (Marshall, Jazz Chorus, Vox, Fender) 

so that I have the same FX setup but different sound.

 

*******************************************

Thanks, Y'all for the replies.

 

If I get a chance, I plan to post a short vid with pieces of songs that demonstrate the different tones, I'm getting.

 

now that I am 98% set, I plan to make no adjustments for a little while, to give myself and my feet, time to learn what I have programmed.

ex.. I have on separate switches - overdrive - distortion - amp gain increase. 

(now I have to decide when I'm using one, two, three,     or all of them together, which also kicks A$$ when you need it.)

 

 

 *** the one thing I've noticed with the Helix compared to all my previous rigs... 

 

you can really hear the differences between guitar pickup/tone knob and switch settings and all of the tonal characteristics of each guitar is more audible than I've ever heard before.

 

amazing !!

[jbuhajla]

Is there a danger that at some point, during the gig, you'll need to use guitar A instead of guitar B and not be able to make the switch in a timely fashion?  

 

I would love to have multiple guitars plugged in and "ready to go", and I like the scheme, but too many times I would "prefer" or "plan" to use a Tele on a particular song, but based on how that guitar is sounding that night or (and this is more likely) the rest of the band decides to jump immediately to the next song on the set list and I don't have time to make the switch.  

I use the Relay G10 for this. Some players don't like it, but I have been using it for about a year and love it. When I switch guitars, I just yank the transmitter out of guitar A, slap it in guitar B, and I'm good to go. No pops or cracks. This allows me to keep my Helix presets as simple as can be because of not having to control the input source. 

[GenoBluzGtr]

 *** the one thing I've noticed with the Helix compared to all my previous rigs... 

 

you can really hear the differences between guitar pickup/tone knob and switch settings and all of the tonal characteristics of each guitar is more audible than I've ever heard before.

 

amazing !!

 

THIS +100   I notice it too.  Set up  a patch with a specific guitar and play it with a different one and it's shocking how different it can be!  of course the more saturated drive you use this becomes less obvious... but a clean or semi-clean patch... Tele / Strat / LP all vastly different... even different humbuckers on two LPs can be night and day.

[MusicLaw]

I use the Relay G10 for this. Some players don't like it, but I have been using it for about a year and love it. When I switch guitars, I just yank the transmitter out of guitar A, slap it in guitar B, and I'm good to go. No pops or cracks. This allows me to keep my Helix presets as simple as can be because of not having to control the input source.

I too have been using the G10 with the Helix (for nearly a year). They work very well together.

*** the one thing I've noticed with the Helix compared to all my previous rigs... 

 

you can really hear the differences between guitar pickup/tone knob and switch settings and all of the tonal characteristics of each guitar is more audible than I've ever heard before.

 

amazing !!

 

THIS +100   I notice it too.  Set up  a patch with a specific guitar and play it with a different one and it's shocking how different it can be!  of course the more saturated drive you use this becomes less obvious... but a clean or semi-clean patch... Tele / Strat / LP all vastly different... even different humbuckers on two LPs can be night and day.

Instruments and pickups, plus differences amongst playback/monitoring systems, are principal reasons why pre-existing Presets created by others often sound less than ideal on another user's system. Of course, player's skill and technique also play a big role!

 

The best approach is always building your own Presets using the building block elements you prefer from Helix's toolset. Pre-existing presets are a wonderful resource for understanding how to cook your own.