Can I use Helix as a digial drumset?

[its-me]

Hi Forum,

 

just got my Helix LT and I'm still in the process of learning what this thing can and can't do. I want to use the Helix as a kind of digital drumset.  So when I push foodswitch A it makes a high-hat sound, on B a snare, on D a basedrum. 

 

Is that possible? Could it be added with impulse responses? 

 

Might be difficult beacause it would not be a response to an electric impulse but rather to an impact on the footswitch.

 

Would love to hear your opinion or advice!

[brue58ski]

No, it has nothing like that internally. You could hook it to a computer and it is able to do QWERTY commands as well as key combos (like SHIFT/ALT) to control it.

[Nylander88]

13 minutes ago, its-me said:

just got my Helix LT

 

14 minutes ago, its-me said:

digital drumset

Never heard of an Hx product able to do that but you can run electronic kits into it for effect prosessing

[Nylander88]

1 hour ago, its-me said:

digital drumset

I have an HX stomp, If i played drums I would use it with electronic kits all the time

[bobruz]

Check out pg. 47 in the LT manual eh.
If you have a sound module of some type with drum sounds, you can send MIDI CC's via

the Command Center in the LT to fire the sounds you want.
Remember to go to Global settings and turn off the TX MIDI PC setting.  This will prevent the LT

from automatically send a MIDI PC message every time you hit a button.
 

I have not tried it with my LT.  But I have done similar triggers with the Helix rack & controller.

[SaschaFranck]

You could possibly try to use it as an *analog* drumset. Just grab some drumsticks and start beating the Helix. You might want to connect a mic to it and process things at the same time.

[borgis]

You can use multiple osc blocks and legacy synths in conjunction with step tremolo and delay / auto filter to generate rhythmic sounds , i guess you could also use the looper .

[datacommando]

On 5/20/2020 at 6:33 PM, its-me said:

Hi Forum,

 

just got my Helix LT and I'm still in the process of learning what this thing can and can't do. I want to use the Helix as a kind of digital drumset.  So when I push foodswitch A it makes a high-hat sound, on B a snare, on D a basedrum. 

 

Is that possible? Could it be added with impulse responses? 

 

Might be difficult beacause it would not be a response to an electric impulse but rather to an impact on the footswitch.

 

Would love to hear your opinion or advice!

Oh, I hope you didn’t buy a big black box full of digital amp modelling and guitar fx thinking it was a drum machine - you need an 808 for that. Neither is it a trigger for playing back samples - I could sell you an AKAI S950 for that, it’s sitting in one of my racks gathering dust.

 

You may be able to do something via MIDI to an external sample player, but that would be a lot of tap dancing to create a decent beat.

 

Are you sure that you wanted a guitar processor, and if you did - did you research what it was capable of doing?

 

Baffled!

 

I really do despair!

[Digital_Igloo]

If one's going to control an external sound module via the Command Center, it's soooo much easier to just transmit MIDI notes. In fact, 8 TEMPLATES > 05A MIDI Bass Pedals does this automatically.

[ryansalmond]

Not sure why all the disparaging/sarcastic remarks– Helix can do this quite easily. Just plug the USB into your computer, and set up midi triggers on the footswitches to trigger sounds in any drum machine program.

[datacommando]

3 hours ago, ryansalmond said:

Not sure why all the disparaging/sarcastic remarks– Helix can do this quite easily.

Yes it can, and the reason for the disparaging/sarcastic remarks from me were because I read what the OP had asked. The exact statement was: -

 

“So when I push foodswitch A it makes a high-hat sound, on B a snare, on D a basedrum”. 
 

Now triggering loops or starting and stopping a external beatbox (eg BeatBuddy) - no problem.
 

Although, I would be interested to see how you tap out hi hat triplets using foot switch A plus 4 on the floor, at the same time, on switch D - all while playing guitar. Reminiscent of the old time “One Man Band” characters, cymbals between the knees, bass drum on the back, kazoo and harmonica in a harness and a tambourine on the hat etc.

 

 

[soundog]

You will soon discover that tapping your feet on triggers or switches to play digital drums via triggers is physically difficult while standing. But doable while seated.

[its-me]

Thx for all the replies! 

 

of course I knew what I bought and overall I'm super happy with the Helix. Sometimes when I jam with friends they tend to fall out of the tempo, usually stomp to make the rhythm clear. 

 

Maybe ill try the midi way with my pc, if I do I'll let you know!

[lou-kash]

“Helix as a digital drumset?”

Well, yesterday, after a somewhat related private discussion on talkbass.com, I had the thought if it's possible to use an HX Stomp as a drum sound generator.

It is.

(Nope, no Looper involved!)

 

A few weeks ago I have already set up a rudimentary "drum machine" or "extended metronome" preset (also: no Looper involved!) but I didn't like its sound yet.

So today I came up with the following block sequence:

• 3 Note Generator
• Dynamic Ambience
• Harmonic Tremolo
• 3-Band Comp
• (optional Dynamic Hall for some space)

This is on Path B.

Path A still has 3 free blocks for instrument processing. More than enough for my bass guitar or upright bass.

The Split is at the very beginning, with all input going to path A.

The Mixer is at the very end as we don't want the drum machine run through instrument fx or amp blocks. Separate outputs can thus be used.

• FS1 turns the Generator block on/off.
• FS2 doubles/halves the tempo via Harmonic Tremolo's Speed.
• FS3 default taps set or change the preset tempo.

When turned on, the "drum machine" plays a simple "kick / snare" beat.

I was aiming at a snare sound that has a slight "brush" feel. Essentially I only wanted to emulate what I'm usually playing with my feet on my self-made electrified plank stompbox, which is something I cannot do when I'm standing, especially when playing upright bass.

The Generator parameters are causing a gentle phase shift in relation to the given tempo, making each individual beat slightly randomized in sound, attack and velocity.

At very high tempo, this shift may occasionally cause a missing beat. Duh.

Alternatively, by using Asheville Pattern rathern than Harmonic Tremolo, the drum machine can play a couple of more complex beats, rather than just "boom-ts-boom-ts".

 

Two more hints:

• The 3-Generator sounds likely best with a combination of Sinus, Square and Saw Down.
• The Tremolo requires Square to act as an auto-gate.

I'll leave it at that for the time being, so that you folks can have some fun trying to figure out the parameters in detail yourselves… ;)