Compressor post output

[schmoog]

Hey there helix fam! Quick question on how everyone is running the helix...

 

I have two electric guitars and an acoustic, all of which feed into my Shure glx wireless system and hit the front end of the helix. In the helix I have a wide variety of patches and settings for each, and then I feed the output of the helix direct to house.

 

So my question is... I have some issues with volume matching the output volume on all these and was considering sending the stereo output of the helix through a stereo compressor set to just on the verge of compression at the lowest volume so that the FoH guys have an easier time with mixing. Is this a good idea? Or is there a way to manage this natively in the helix so that all my patches hit the same output volume? Also of note is several of my patches have maxed the dsp resources so I can't really add much to each patch in some cases

[phil_m]

Using a compressor to squash peaky transients is probably OK, but I don’t know that I’d depend on it to even out the differences between acoustic and electric signals. I think you be better off sending separate outputs from the Helix to the board for your electric and acoustic, as most sound guys would want to EQ and mix these differently.

[schmoog]

Probably could do that too. Could use the xlr's in stereo for the electric patches and the 1/4 mono into their DI for the acoustic patch (the acoustic patch definitely doesn't need stereo. It's mostly just for tone shaping, compression, and ir purposes rather than effects)?

[DunedinDragon]

I use a variety of instruments and patches as well using a wireless.  I customize my patches for each guitar, even if it's for the same song.  I don't really see any way around that since each guitar has a different sound and performance characteristics.  I'm not sure I'd just use a simple compressor because that will certainly affect the volume, but also the tone and performance.  And a preset that works for a Gretsch Silver Falcon hollow body is going to need different blocks than an acoustic on the same song.  I suppose you could come up with a shortcut, but it will always be a shortcut...

Really the only way to give the mixing desk a consistent level is to create the patch at a consistent level.  I always send my signal to the mixing board through the XLR output set to Mic level and disconnected from the Helix volume knob.  I measure my signal level through a mixing board signal meters to ensure each patch is at the same signal level.  That way, anyone running the sound board simply has to gain stage one of my patches and all patches will perform at that same level. 

 

[codamedia]

I'm a multi-instrumentalist, and everything goes through my Helix with a single line to the FOH. You can't cheat the final levels, you need to take the time to adjust them all accordingly. I use compression on almost every preset.... but not to deal with levels, just to put a certain "je nais se quois" on the tone.