Jax_son35 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 So I recently converted from an amp and pedalboard setup to using my new Helix direct in to my PA. I had no trouble setting up some good tones for myself but I did have trouble switching between my clean preset and my distortion...there was an obvious lag when I switched them! Since I play in a band this wouldn’t work live so I discovered snapshots. I understand them but What I really need help with is how to set up my signal paths. Any tips/advice on technical setup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themetallikid Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 I myself set them up on separate paths (1A Clean(er) and 1B Heavier sounds). I use the split point as an A/B setting, and attach it to the snapshots controller and pan 100% towards A/B for whatever sound I want for that snapshot. My typical path 1 signal chain will be: Para EQ (low cut flubbyness removal) - OD (valve driver) - WAH - Path Split A/B Block < Path A - JC120, Path B Placater > - On to path 2 where my IR's, EQ, Reverb, Delay, Volume Boost go. WIth splitting where I do, I give myself extra block space to put different drives in front of the amps. For a song like Every Rose Has It's Thorn by Poison, I have 4 sounds I utilize, Clean (Path 1A-JC120 only), Gritty (Path 1A with Kinky Boost in front to add some grit/bite to the clean), Crunch (Path 1B Placater) and Lead (Path 1B Placater with a EQ/Kinky Boost added) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshriggs Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Go to your signal chain view and make sure one of the 2 amps is bypassed. Then assign both amps to the same bypass foot controller. Boom! One footswitch to toggle between the two. I've even made patches this way where I used one footswitch to toggle between 2 dirty amps with a little bit of reverb, and 1 clean amp with lots of reverb. You can do a lot with assigning different blocks to the same bypass footswitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themetallikid Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 1 hour ago, joshriggs said: Go to your signal chain view and make sure one of the 2 amps is bypassed. Then assign both amps to the same bypass foot controller. Boom! One footswitch to toggle between the two. I've even made patches this way where I used one footswitch to toggle between 2 dirty amps with a little bit of reverb, and 1 clean amp with lots of reverb. You can do a lot with assigning different blocks to the same bypass footswitch. Correct me if I'm wrong, this works if you keep them all on the same path correct? Otherwise in my scenario where I have them on 1a and 1b, the dry signal would bleed through the 'off' amp as it is bypassed?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshriggs Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 On 3/28/2019 at 2:12 PM, themetallikid said: Correct me if I'm wrong, this works if you keep them all on the same path correct? Otherwise in my scenario where I have them on 1a and 1b, the dry signal would bleed through the 'off' amp as it is bypassed?? You can assign any block to be assigned by the same footswitch regardless of what path they're on. But if I'm understanding your method, then you're correct, using a switch to bypass an amp as opposed to pan a path would leave you with a dry signal. That being said, you could do everything you're describing above in your setup with Snapshots instead using the split block to switch between sounds. That's the blessing and curse of Helix - many ways to do the same thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsdenj Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 Richie Castellano's video provides a great answer to this question: You can also use similar techniques to get a two-channel amp tone out of a single amp block. What you need to do is map the drive, bass, treble, presence, cab/IR high cut, master and maybe channel volume to a foot switch. The off position uses the one set of settings and the on position another for the same amp. If you use a flexible amp model like Litigator, Archetype Dirty, Cartographer, Cali Texas Ch2, Derailed Ingrid or Placater Dirty, you can easily get two really different tones out of the same amp. For HX Stomp, this can also save you a block as you can probably configure the lead sound to have all the distortion you'd need from the amp, eliminating a distortion block. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax_son35 Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 Thanks so much everyone! I’ve experimented a with a couple different ways and have it doing exactly what I want now. I appreciate all the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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