Helix through amp and cabinet sounds awful

[Bill_Markley]

I'm running my Helix floor into a synergy syn50/50 tube power amp into a mesa 2x12 recto cab and it sounds completely lifeless, almost like there's a low cut turned up all the way. I've checked global eq probably 20 times now, everything is good in my patches, there's only two settings on the power amp and neither have much of an impact. It's not like a picky tone preference thing, there's seriously something way off about it, any advice helps, thanks

[rd2rk]

In Global Settings>Ins/Outs, check that the level on the 1/4" Outs is set correctly for the amp's inputs.

There's not much info in the manual (per expected Input Level), but make sure you've got all your switches right.

Just turn OFF the Global EQ.

Any chance the speakers are wired out of phase? (I know, not likely, but....)

Attach a sample preset.

[Schmalle]

Make shure to use "Preamp" as amp modeling block. You might try "Amp", but that will most likely sound scooped and boomy. Avoid using "Amp+Cab" in this scenario.

 

 

[SaschaFranck]

You do have the cab/IR blocks turned off, do you? Because having them on in that scenario would explain what you describe.
Also, if I were you, I'd create patches using the preamp models only (but using the full amps shouldn't have as much of a negative effekt as having cab/IR blocks active).

[rvroberts]

What has been said above is correct, but there's very likely more!

The Helix patches are intended to be a simulation of an amp and a speaker cab  - with or without effects.

If you use a conventional guitar amp, you can only use the Helix as a fancy effects pedal. You need to turn off any amp and cabinet modelling.  That's because guitar amps have very limited frequency response - because that's what makes guitars sound good.  And then the guitar cab also has limited frequency response - again to make guitars sound great.

So you don't want to feed a sound that was intended for a very HiFi output ( a Helix patch intended to go to FRFR systems) into a guitar amp - that's because all that frequency limiting and sculpting has already been done in the Helix in the Amp and Cab simulation.

If you feed that into a normal guitar amp, it's going to do all that again - but by now, you've pulled far too much out of the guitar sound - and it sounds extremely dull.

The amp you are using is generally intended to have a batch of preamp modules so it can sound like any amp - I don't know if connecting the Helix direct to the power amp is possible?

Even if it is, there's no guarantee it's not adding a batch of EQ anyhow,  If you can feed some music you know well into it, see how that sounds - is it getting squashed in frequency?

I'd expect so.

If that's the case, you setup might not be the greatest platform for the Helix.

It is probably totally possible to get great sounds out of it, but to some degree you are on your own!

Yes, try it with no amp sims and no cabs (for sure - you are using a guitar cab!!) and see hows you go - just use simple effects chains to start with.

You might find Helix preamps will work just like the preamp modules designed for the system.................but you might not - we'd need to really know what's going on in these synergy amps.

You will need to experiment.  If doing a simple patch with guitar into a preamp and straight out to the poweramp starts to sound sensible then you can no doubt use the Helix with effects and preamps - but guitar amps and cabs are to be avoided.