Indianrock2020 Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Ok the hype is all about Helix but for many of us who play a couple times a month, it's hard to justify that price. So I've already done a lot of creative patch tweaking, read much of the Meambobbo guide, added the vintage and metal packs, learned how to tame some of the overdrives with parametric EQ and run dual amp/cab to get new/better tones. What's left, that doesn't cost a fortune, besides adding external drive or delay pedals in the effects loop or before/after the POD? I run direct to PA -- at home, earphones or a full range powered speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smashcraaft Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Have fun and play. Nothing is ever perfect and something that sounds great, can sound dull the other day just because you or your ears have a bad day. Stop searching for the holy grail, especially if you are not a gigging guitarist or a pro. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Ok the hype is all about Helix but for many of us who play a couple times a month, it's hard to justify that price. So I've already done a lot of creative patch tweaking, read much of the Meambobbo guide, added the vintage and metal packs, learned how to tame some of the overdrives with parametric EQ and run dual amp/cab to get new/better tones. What's left, that doesn't cost a fortune, besides adding external drive or delay pedals in the effects loop or before/after the POD? I run direct to PA -- at home, earphones or a full range powered speaker. It'll remain useful until it either stops working, or you decide that you're done with it...but there's nothing you can do to "prevent" either of those things from happening. It will, or it won't...and it's all about what's going on inside your head, not the POD. It's very likely that you'll eventually hit a wall with any unit like this...but it's not the device's fault, and there's probably very little to gain from trying to push past that threshold. The reality is that the overwhelming majority of users will only make use of a small percentage of what these things can do, because most of us have limited needs. For the most part, it's only the really seasoned and well rounded pros who can play any style of music convincingly, and have the need and desire to push these devices to their limits doing so. The rest of us tend to gravitate towards rather limited genres, and simply don't need every tone under the sun...don't know about you, but I don't often find myself playing country one day, and Norwegian black metal, the next. It's already WAY too easy to spend hours on end trying to dial in the sounds we DO need. Once you find them, what else is there to do? At some point you have to stop tweaking, and make some music. Having 143 different routes to the same destination is only useful if you're selling maps. So unless you really enjoy tweaking just for the sake of tweaking, this quest is just gonna have you burning a whole lot of calories, running around in circles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianrock2020 Posted January 22, 2018 Author Share Posted January 22, 2018 All true, practice more, accept "good enough for casual use, as is," etc. Now that I'm retired I have more time to tweak but even less interest in dropping $1500. I just discovered the magnetic pickups on my JTV59 Variax so there's another route to explore ( discovered as in, been using the modeled guitars since that's what the thing is known for ).But since I have the time, and probably approval from spouse to make minor purchases like an external OD pedal or cabinet IR device, I'll probably explore those directions. Maybe I should start marketing my patches :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 But since I have the time, and probably approval from spouse to make minor purchases... I'd say this is a bigger problem than how long your POD lasts...is she getting permission from you every time she buys a pair of shoes? If it isn't taking food off the table or sending her to the poor house, buy what you want... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoguyy Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Treat your gear like you (should) treat your wife. You bought a cow. Why are you still trying to find a nipple to get milk from? I have fully functional gear. It does everything I need it to do - otherwise, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place. Why would I give a flying lollipop over what else is available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianrock2020 Posted January 22, 2018 Author Share Posted January 22, 2018 LOL I've managed to stay married for 46 years, happily, by paying attention to my wife's feelings not likely to change that now ..I am getting some useful responses over on the Facebook forum with regard to adding pedals in the effects Loop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joel_brown Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 If you want to fiddle with something you could try some IR pedals. But if you're happy with what you have then stop playing with your gear and just play the guitar. Guitar gear is like puberty. You keep wanting to play with it all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianrock2020 Posted January 22, 2018 Author Share Posted January 22, 2018 I have been looking at some like this Mooer Audio Radar Speaker Cabinet Simulator Effect Pedal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazzy Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I still use my HD500 and like it. I also still have an X3 Pro and use that too. It's easy for me to navigate through them both now but when I first got them it was challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjnette Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Yeah, still finding the HD500 can hold it's own when compared to a few amp sims I have tried since the HxNative demo ran out. Too expensive. I not long ago bought a whole DAW with a ton of effects and instruments 70 gig sample library and instruments plus a great amp sim especially on bass. Vandal from that crazy $149 Samplitude ProX 3 Suite sweet deal with SoundForge 11 and Spectral Layers integration. Heaps better bang for the buck. I was on Sonar X3 before that with TH2 and I upgraded to the Pro version for the same a week before the announcement. They kindy gave me a refund. Anyway I use the HD as a clock source for s/pdif and record either on amp sims of from the HD right into Samplitude. The HD is still got it though. Perfectly adequate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoguyy Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Nashville, the tv show, season 2, 3, and 4. Soundtracks available for streaming. If you can't tell what was done by an HD, other modeler, "real" amps, keyboards, recorded as individual tracks, or recorded as a whole ---- then why are we having this conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceatl Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I really want a Helix. Ever since I played one at the company HQ and brought up a model and it sounded great...However, I still have not pulled the trigger because my old HD Desktop does what I need....Now had they created an Helix Desktop with a foot controller, I would have jumped...Helix Rack is too bulky for my needs...I have loathed all in one pedalboards since the advent of the RP-1...prefer dumb controllers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I thought you were a beta tester and therefore that you already had a Helix The Illuminati never admit they're in the club...😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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