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Really frustrated w/Helix + QSC K10 - would PowerCab be better for me?


marmatkat
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Hey all. I've had my Helix LT for a few years, gigging maybe 20x with local rock cover bands, and I've yet to really love it in spite of lots of effort. I've always used it with a QSC K10 (1000w), and I'm sick of the boominess, which I'm not competent or patient enough to eliminate. (I've read about how to work around that characteristic resonance, and I've tried lots of things, but I'm sick of screwing with it.)

 

After some thinking I've realized I'm on the less sophisticated end of the user spectrum, and that the Helix might be too complicated for me to get a good tone, given my skill. I've read many posts over the years, and I agree the UI is very intuitive, but I'm craving being able to easily dial in some good tones without too much tweaking, and I've yet to get there. Finicky endless tinkering with speakers, IRs, mics, low/high cuts, etc, is not my thing - all I want is a half dozen decent sounds (clean, crunch, overdriven, etc.) and some fx (which I've been pretty satisfied with - they feel much easier to use than amp/cabs).

 

I'm now thinking the K10 is part of the problem, as are my expectations around "amp in the room". What currently has my attention is the Powercab 112 Plus, with my hope being it would be simpler and more satisfying. I'd use the Helix for preamps and fx, but bypass the cabs on the Helix in favor of the PC ones. No fussing with cabs! Sounds great in practice and at gigs! What could be simpler!

 

Ha. But kidding aside, might this be a successful direction to pursue? Any advice? I truly believe "It's me, not Helix," but I'm at the end of my patience with the struggle.

 

Thanks very much.

 

K10 Details:

  • I currently place the K10 on a milk crate behind me facing forward (to my back). I tried it on a pole, but at ear level it was harsh. (We play on tiny stages, so I can't place it back far enough to sound OK.)
  • I use the second (non-EQ'd) channel/input.
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My Journey:

 

Rokit6 Monitors

Alto TS210

HR FRFR112

Egnator Tweaker 15/112 Combo

Powercab 112+

 

Admittedly, I'm still in the honeymoon stage with the PC112+.

I will say this - it's the first time I've been happy with my presets that include Helix Cabs OR IRs, right out of the box.

I'm still playing with the emulated speakers. Hard to find the proper times to crank those up in an apartment for the "TRUE AITR EXPERIENCE".

So far I'll only say that they're - different.

 

That said:

 

1 hour ago, marmatkat said:

I've tried lots of things, but I'm sick of screwing with it

 

1 hour ago, marmatkat said:

I'm now thinking the K10 is part of the problem, as are my expectations around "amp in the room". What currently has my attention is the Powercab 112 Plus, with my hope being it would be simpler and more satisfying. I'd use the Helix for preamps and fx, but bypass the cabs on the Helix in favor of the PC ones. No fussing with cabs! Sounds great in practice and at gigs! What could be simpler!

 

Sorry bud, no magic bullets here. Just a lot more options to play around with.

I definitely think it's worth a try before trading it all in for a Fender GT or L6 Spider. :-)

But consider this. The BEST sounds I'm getting are with the PC+ XLR Out connected to my FRFR112.

The combination sounds HUGE, even at 70db. And, if I turn down the PC+ so that all I hear is the FRFR112, the FRFR112 still sounds like crap not so good.

Go figure!

So, go for it, but I'd hang onto the K10 too.....

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7 hours ago, marmatkat said:

K10 Details:

  • I currently place the K10 on a milk crate behind me facing forward (to my back). I tried it on a pole, but at ear level it was harsh. (We play on tiny stages, so I can't place it back far enough to sound OK.)

 

Due to no own experience, I can't exactly comment on whether a PC+ would be your saviour, so just about this: There's some mini poles, not raising it up all the way to ear level. I think some people are using them with success. Another idea might be an amp stand such as the Ultimate AMP-150, which would both decouple the K10 from the floor and also allow you to use it tilted but vertically (rather than in a typical horizontal fashion), which might help, too.

Further, as you're mentioning boominess: Many people seem to suffer from this and very often the "typical" tools for patch creation inside the Helix aren't the best to adress this. The Helix' low cut slopes IMO aren't steep enough to just remove the boominess, they have a good potential to reach into some substantial sound range, which you likely don't want. Haven't tested it scientifically yet, but the global EQ seems to have a steeper slope and it's, well, applied globally (on either the 1/4, XLR or both outs) so you wouldn't have to reprogram all your patches.

I think you should try these out before you shell out some more money, especially as IMO the K10 is quite a decent monitor.

 

Fwiw, personally I'm creating my own IRs by modifying existing ones (usually my own captures, too). I apply pretty rigid low cuts (and partially high cuts as well) to them, using Logics EQ and a 48dB/Oct. cut at something around 60-70Hz (low E string is around 80Hz and I pretty much never play downtuned). So far, I have no issues with any boominess, and I'm only using a rather lowly Alto TS310 (by now, I must've played well over 100 gigs of all kinds of styles with it).

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9 hours ago, marmatkat said:

What currently has my attention is the Powercab 112 Plus, with my hope being it would be simpler and more satisfying.

 

I have 2 Powercab +'s and could not be happier. Not only are they smart unit with lots of features, they sound good too!

 

For studio they are the "Bee's-Knees" in tone.

 

I recommend them highly to ppl the fence. They wont disappoint (unless your in a Metal band playin @ 120 db)...  

 

My 2 cents- hope this helps ; )

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I couldn’t be happier with my PC 112+ ... in fact, so much so that I went out and bought a second one to play in stereo. I won’t likely move towards the 212 because I’m an old geezer and lifting heavy cabs is well behind me. 

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