WOW! The Big Book of Helix Tips & Tricks

[khiryos]

On 11/16/2022 at 1:37 AM, craiganderton said:

 

No, it's not stupid. Short answer is changing the angle is just a different kind of filtering. But, you've given me another idea for some frequency response graphs to illustrate this.

 

As I finish sections for the updated book, I'll mention them in the abovementioned forum, and maybe give some previews. But again...there's no ETA on this. I don't want to shortchange the info just to get something out sooner.

Very interesting. Now I would be very curious to know what "kind of filtering" is :)

No problem for not doing an ETA, it's completely normal.

Thanks in advance for all of your work. If I have other ideas, I will not fail to come here to let you know about these.

[brue58ski]

On 11/15/2022 at 11:31 PM, khiryos said:

Very interesting. Now I would be very curious to know what "kind of filtering" is :)

No problem for not doing an ETA, it's completely normal.

Thanks in advance for all of your work. If I have other ideas, I will not fail to come here to let you know about these.

One of the problems with this kind of thing, at least for me, is you can describe it forever, but until I hear it, I don't quite get it. It's the same with this. I could describe it forever, but it's just easier if we were in a studio and I moved the mic to show you what it does. Here's something Comedia posted that could help but is definitely a generalzation.

 

This is extremely rudimentary, but it may help. 

• too immediate.... pull the mic back
• too distant... put the mic closer
• too bright... move the mic toward the edge
• too dark... move the mic toward the center
  • some mics have proximity effect.... if they are too dark, pulling them back reduces the low end and vice versa

 

Keep in mind... every 1" you move a mic makes a big difference. Sometimes a little movement is all it takes. Studio engineers will spend hours with mic positions before they touch an EQ. 

[craiganderton]

On 11/16/2022 at 6:23 AM, brue58ski said:

One of the problems with this kind of thing, at least for me, is you can describe it forever, but until I hear it, I don't quite get it. It's the same with this. I could describe it forever, but it's just easier if we were in a studio and I moved the mic to show you what it does. Here's something Comedia posted that could help but is definitely a generalzation.

 

This is extremely rudimentary, but it may help. 

• too immediate.... pull the mic back
• too distant... put the mic closer
• too bright... move the mic toward the edge
• too dark... move the mic toward the center
  • some mics have proximity effect.... if they are too dark, pulling them back reduces the low end and vice versa

 

Keep in mind... every 1" you move a mic makes a big difference. Sometimes a little movement is all it takes. Studio engineers will spend hours with mic positions before they touch an EQ. 

 

Your post is 100% on target! I agree that ultimately, your ears are going to make the final decision. For me, knowing how things respond is more about workflow. 

 

For example, I can move an EQ's midrange peak around until something sounds right. But over time, if you know that at 1 kHz boost is going to sound a certain way compared to a 3.4 kHz boost, you can zero in on the desired sound much faster. With the mic example, if you know what angling a mic does, then when you're doing a mix or creating a preset, you'll know what will give the sound you want without having to go through too much trial-and-error. 

 

Then again, trial-and-error often produces "happy accidents" that exceed the ability to predict what something wil do :) 

 

I think maybe Khiryos was looking more for guidance - like "so why do people do that, anyway? And why would I want to do it?"

[brue58ski]

On 11/16/2022 at 10:03 AM, craiganderton said:

 

Your post is 100% on target! I agree that ultimately, your ears are going to make the final decision. For me, knowing how things respond is more about workflow. 

 

For example, I can move an EQ's midrange peak around until something sounds right. But over time, if you know that at 1 kHz boost is going to sound a certain way compared to a 3.4 kHz boost, you can zero in on the desired sound much faster. With the mic example, if you know what angling a mic does, then when you're doing a mix or creating a preset, you'll know what will give the sound you want without having to go through too much trial-and-error. 

 

Then again, trial-and-error often produces "happy accidents" that exceed the ability to predict what something wil do :) 

 

I think maybe Khiryos was looking more for guidance - like "so why do people do that, anyway? And why would I want to do it?"

 

Yup. Instead of asking what a 45 degree angle does, just do it and hear what it does. Much easier and quicker. AND do it for different configurations. Different amps will respond differently to the same angle, distance, etc. And as you said, let's not discount those happy accidents. I will admit to you I've had many of those that made me look like a genius. Don't tell anyone.

[khiryos]

I was not talking about audio differences. We all agree that ears make the final decision, and we can test everything we want with the unit. I was just curious about what goes behind the scenes, in terms of acoustic/physics (types of filters, routing in series/parallel, etc.). I think we can describe it with some objective terms. It does not replace the practical side of a recording session (set a mic with different positions/angles to hear the differences), it would be complementary for curious people.

[craiganderton]

On 11/17/2022 at 5:07 AM, khiryos said:

I think we can describe it with some objective terms. It does not replace the practical side of a recording session (set a mic with different positions/angles to hear the differences), it would be complementary for curious people.

 

Yes, that's what I meant by "knowing how things respond is more about workflow." When you know how things work, it's like getting a head start on achieving the kind of sound you want.

 

I used to work with the late Bart Walsh, who was David Lee Roth's lead guitarist. He could listen to a mix and say something like "that guitar needs +1.5 dB at 1.2 kHz, a 5 kHz high shelf with a 2 dB boost, and a 48 dB low pass at 120 Hz. He would always be right on target.

 

People often say "don't mix with your eyes," but I think Bart would have rephrased that as "mix with your eyes open," so you could correlate what you heard with what you saw. It certainly served him well.

[ReggyXY]

 

Quote

One of the problems with this kind of thing, at least for me, is you can describe it forever, but until I hear it, I don't quite get it. It's the same with this. I could describe it forever, but it's just easier if we were in a studio and I moved the mic to show you what it does. Here's something Comedia posted that could help but is definitely a generalzation.

 

This is extremely rudimentary, but it may help. 

• too immediate.... pull the mic back
• too distant... put the mic closer
• too bright... move the mic toward the edge
• too dark... move the mic toward the center
  • some mics have proximity effect.... if they are too dark, pulling them back reduces the low end and vice versa

 

Keep in mind... every 1" you move a mic makes a big difference. Sometimes a little movement is all it takes. Studio engineers will spend hours with mic positions before they touch an EQ. When I entered the college of music, I began to study this specific equipment setup. I wanted to become a good professional, but the standard training programs are outdated and do not provide such experience. Part of what helped me was studying thousands of flashcards and test answers at https://studyhippo.com/flashcards-by-topics/ There I was able to find not only work by students from other colleges, but also a lot of recommendations from professionals in the industry. Perhaps this resource will also be useful to someone.

 

Very useful tip for moving the microphone! Especially for beginners.

[Gillespie1983]

I just purchased a Helix last month and purchased this ebook today.  I'm a previous owner of the Pod 2.0, Pod xt, Pod HD500, and Iridium.   I still prefer tube amps and pedals for jams and such, but modelers have been my preference for recording and larger quiet-stage gigs.  The Helix is a great appliance, but, being a retired software engineer, I'm always eager to learn more about what's under the hood and how I can capitalize on that knowledge.  Looking forward to studying this book.

[craiganderton]

On 12/1/2022 at 8:21 AM, Gillespie1983 said:

I just purchased a Helix last month and purchased this ebook today.  I'm a previous owner of the Pod 2.0, Pod xt, Pod HD500, and Iridium.   I still prefer tube amps and pedals for jams and such, but modelers have been my preference for recording and larger quiet-stage gigs.  The Helix is a great appliance, but, being a retired software engineer, I'm always eager to learn more about what's under the hood and how I can capitalize on that knowledge.  Looking forward to studying this book.

 

I think you'll find Helix goes much further than the POD HD500 and previous Line 6 modelers. I hope you find the book helpful - I'm working on the free version 1.2 update that covers what's in Helix 3.5. Please remember that if you have any requests for what to include in future updates, or questions about what's in the book, there's a dedicated support forum for the book at musicplayer.com. Have fun with Helix! I certainly do :)

[HonestOpinion]

On 11/18/2022 at 6:33 PM, craiganderton said:

 

...

 

People often say "don't mix with your eyes," but I think Bart would have rephrased that as "mix with your eyes open," so you could correlate what you heard with what you saw. It certainly served him well.

 

I truly appreciate the quote above! Would love to have had this at the ready every time I saw a comment to the effect of "only amateurs need gain reduction meters for a compressor". R.I.P. Bart Walsh!

[MusicLaw]

@craiganderton I just posted a suggestion to your Big Book Dedicated Page on musicplayer.com. Check it out! The site is acting very slowly confirming my email registration. I've already requested a confirmation email 2x w/o results, and it's not in Spam. Hopefully it will resolve. Otherwise, why not consider simply using this Helix User Community Page to collect User suggestion submissions? 

[Gillespie1983]

I have a question from the book's section titled: Setting the Output Level.  I followed the steps given to compare levels with a LUFS meter, post Helix.  But, all of the presets I've examined are way hotter than the Helix bypass signal.  Please elaborate on the benefits of having presets at the same LUFS as Helix bypassed.    My gear:  Helix 3.51, Native 3.50, Reaper DAW, LUFS meter plugin after Native.

 

Also, please direct me to the proper/best location for asking questions about this book.  This book is very helpful to me.

[Kethav]

On 11/6/2022 at 7:07 PM, craiganderton said:

 

I'm glad they took are of you, good to hear. But I forgot to mention a crucial point: Save the download code they gave you! You'll need it to download the free updates (you use the same code to get the free "point" updates). Normally this is stored in your account, but if you sign in as a guest, it won't get stored on the Sweetwater site.

Uhm, actually I didn't get a download code clearly, but just a download link with a code within it. Will it be the code you are talking about?

[MusicLaw]

@craigandertonif you'd like an extra set of eyes proofing your working draft update to The Big Book pertaining to firmware version 3.50 features and improvements, feel free to get back to me. I'd be delighted to help.

 

I just bought two copies of the Book yesterday. One as a gift for a friend. The other probably as a backup to what I already have unless I also give it as a gift to another buddy. The purchase process does generate a response email containing a Click to Download URL with embedded code, however, the result of clicking that download URL only begins the download of the inclusive zip file. There is no actual user activation nor registration. It will be interesting to see how Sweetwater Publishing administers matters when the next revision covering firmware 3.50 is available. Happy Holidays! 

[craiganderton]

On 12/2/2022 at 4:34 PM, MusicLaw said:

@craiganderton I just posted a suggestion to your Big Book Dedicated Page on musicplayer.com. Check it out! The site is acting very slowly confirming my email registration. I've already requested a confirmation email 2x w/o results, and it's not in Spam. Hopefully it will resolve. Otherwise, why not consider simply using this Helix User Community Page to collect User suggestion submissions? 

 

First off, I noticed your post in the dedicated forum, so I guess whatever problem there was has been resolved.

 

There are several reasons for not using the Helix User Community page. First, the thread would need to be pinned so that people could find it easily, and I don't want to be an imposition for those who don't have the book. Besides, there are enough pinned topics already! Second, a lot of customers buy more than one book. For example, people who buy the Helix book often buy How to Record and Mix Great Guitar Tracks, or the Pro Tools or Studio One books. So, I'd like all the feedback to be in one place. But, I most certainly will let people here know when the update comes out. Although I don't have any stats, I assume this forum probably has the largest pool of book owners.

[craiganderton]

On 12/4/2022 at 2:40 AM, Kethav said:

Uhm, actually I didn't get a download code clearly, but just a download link with a code within it. Will it be the code you are talking about?

 

Yes. 

 

On 12/6/2022 at 1:28 AM, MusicLaw said:

The purchase process does generate a response email containing a Click to Download URL with embedded code, however, the result of clicking that download URL only begins the download of the inclusive zip file. There is no actual user activation nor registration. It will be interesting to see how Sweetwater Publishing administers matters when the next revision covering firmware 3.50 is available. Happy Holidays! 

 

You simply download the book again, except this time, you get the latest version. It's delightfully simple for all concerned - Sweetwater doesn't have to create a new mechanism every time there's an update, and customers can grab the new version whenever they want.

 

The system is set up so that even if I just find a typo in a book, I can simply send a new PDF to Sweewater, and it gets substituted for the previous PDF. I haven't gotten that picky about things yet, but it's nice to know if a book gets out into the world and someone finds a problem, it can be fixed immediately.

[hbgguitar]

I just purchased the ebook today look forward to getting into it. I wanted to say, though, that I was a big fan of the Electronic Projects for Musicians book and actually completed 7 or 8 or the projects back in the 1970's. I started with some of the articles in Guitar Player Magazine and liked the writing style. The preamp, and ring modulator are ones that come to mind. 

[brue58ski]

On 12/8/2022 at 9:15 PM, hbgguitar said:

t I was a big fan of the Electronic Projects for Musicians book and actually completed 7 or 8 or the projects back in the 1970's. I started with some of the articles in Guitar Player Magazine and liked the writing style. The preamp, and ring modulator are ones that come to mind. 

 

Me too. I still have mine.

[WilliamHardrick]

On 11/16/2022 at 2:23 PM, brue58ski said:

One of the problems with this kind of thing, at least for me, is you can describe it forever, but until I hear it, I don't quite get it. It's the same with this. I could describe it forever, but it's just easier if we were in a studio and I moved the mic to show you what it does. Here's something Comedia posted that could help but is definitely a generalzation.

 

This is extremely rudimentary, but it may help. 

• too immediate.... pull the mic back
• too distant... put the mic closer
• too bright... move the mic toward the edge
• too dark... move the mic toward the center
  • some mics have proximity effect.... if they are too dark, pulling them back reduces the low end and vice versa

 

Keep in mind... every 1" you move a mic makes a big difference. Sometimes a little movement is all it takes. Studio engineers will spend hours with mic positions before they touch an EQ. 

Helpful stuff, thank you!

[Mako2112]

On 12/1/2022 at 9:21 AM, Gillespie1983 said:

 being a retired software engineer, I'm always eager to learn more about what's under the hood and how I can capitalize on that knowledge.

Download Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 C++ and JUCE. Within 2 weeks you can make your own POD and really play with whats under the hood. Then you can apply what the book is saying in crazy ways no one has expected :)

[craiganderton]

On 12/18/2022 at 4:44 AM, BilliJean2039 said:

It`s ineresting, Is it possible to find a free version of this book?

 

Thanks for your interest, but it's an eBook (download only) that sells for $19.95. The only way to get it for free is if someone has posted it online, so it can be stolen. However, like software, book owners do get free "point" updates. Currently it's at version 1.1, and I'm working on version 1.2. Also, when there's a new edition with significant changes (like if a book becomes version 2.0), owners of the existing book can get the new edition at a reduced price. 

 

I've tried to keep the price as low as possible, it takes a lot of work to put together a 368-page book that also includes 230 presets. It's more like a labor of love, but it would be nice to be able to pay some bills from it as well :) That's what allows me to work on updates without having to charge for them.

[datacommando]

On 12/18/2022 at 10:44 AM, BilliJean2039 said:

Is it possible to find a free version of this book?

As this is a privately published book, not in the public domain, I would encourage you to seriously consider paying the author for all the work that went into creating this extremely valuable resource. 
 

How would you react if someone stole from you?

[silverhead]

On 12/18/2022 at 5:44 AM, BilliJean2039 said:

It`s ineresting, Is it possible to find a free version of this book?

Possibly. Theft and piracy still exist, unfortunately. If you find a free version, please alert the author, @craiganderton.

[MusicLaw]

On 12/18/2022 at 2:44 AM, BilliJean2039 said:

It`s ineresting, Is it possible to find a free version of this book?

Craig's Big Book of Helix Tips & Tricks plus included Preset files are well worth the $19.95! 

 

If you're looking for free stuff, check out Craig's several freely available articles on Sweetwater's site!

 

 

[AustinJJ]

Thanks to the information from the book, there is cool information on setting up a microphone, it came in handy for me. Many aspiring musicians and sound engineers may have questions and answers that can be found in this book. To help them, I wrote several interesting articles with plagiarism check on https://fixgerald.com/ for my blog, then my experience and reading of similar literature helped me a lot. Of course, for experienced professionals, my blog will not be very useful, but I received a lot of good feedback from beginner musicians. It inspires me.

[WilliamHardrick]

On 12/20/2022 at 7:59 PM, craiganderton said:

 

Thanks for your interest, but it's an eBook (download only) that sells for $19.95. The only way to get it for free is if someone has posted it online, so it can be stolen. However, like software, book owners do get free "point" updates. Currently it's at version 1.1, and I'm working on version 1.2. Also, when there's a new edition with significant changes (like if a book becomes version 2.0), owners of the existing book can get the new edition at a reduced price. 

 

I've tried to keep the price as low as possible, it takes a lot of work to put together a 368-page book that also includes 230 presets. It's more like a labor of love, but it would be nice to be able to pay some bills from it as well :) That's what allows me to work on updates without having to charge for them.

I like this eBook. And format more convenient for me

[LoisBlade]

On 12/1/2022 at 4:21 PM, Gillespie1983 said:

I just purchased a Helix last month and purchased this ebook today.  I'm a previous owner of the Pod 2.0, Pod xt, Pod HD500, and Iridium.   I still prefer tube amps and pedals for jams and such, but modelers have been my preference for recording and larger quiet-stage gigs.  The Helix is a great appliance, but, being a retired software engineer, I'm always eager to learn more about what's under the hood and how I can capitalize on that knowledge.  Looking forward to studying this book.

I'm looking for this e-book 

[toddkc]

On 2/13/2023 at 7:21 AM, LoisBlade said:

I'm looking for this e-book 

You can purchase it at Sweetwater.

[datacommando]

On 2/13/2023 at 1:21 PM, LoisBlade said:

I'm looking for this e-book 

 

Hi,

 

If you are in the USA go here:-

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AndertonHX-e--sweetwater-publishing-the-big-book-of-helix-tips-and-tricks?irclickid=zr1VSD3WMxyNR5BXia2F3SfnUkAyxDUU00000w0&irgwc=1&utm_source=Impact&utm_medium=Music+Player+Network&utm_campaign=Test+Catalog+Ad

 

 

If you are from outside of the USA, it might be wise to follow this link and read the instructions given by the author.

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/182888-the-big-book-of-helix-tips-tricks/

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

Edited February 13, 2023 by datacommando
Link

[LoisBlade]

On 2/13/2023 at 4:51 PM, datacommando said:

 

Hi,

 

If you are in the USA go here:-

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AndertonHX-e--sweetwater-publishing-the-big-book-of-helix-tips-and-tricks?irclickid=zr1VSD3WMxyNR5BXia2F3SfnUkAyxDUU00000w0&irgwc=1&utm_source=Impact&utm_medium=Music+Player+Network&utm_campaign=Test+Catalog+Ad

 

 

If you are from outside of the USA, it might be wise to follow this link and read the instructions given by the author.

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/182888-the-big-book-of-helix-tips-tricks/

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

 

Thank you!

[PatriciaHott]

Hello hello! I'm new here.

[craiganderton]

Moderators - I suspect the last two posts are spammers testing the ease of spamming the site. You might want to check into this and if needed, delete their accounts :)

[datacommando]

On 7/21/2023 at 11:32 PM, craiganderton said:

Moderators - I suspect the last two posts are spammers testing the ease of spamming the site. You might want to check into this and if needed, delete their accounts :)

Hi,

 

Sadly this is a user group and is not moderated in the usual manner that you might expect.

 

If you think any post may be possible Spam, then click on the Ellipsis of 3 grey dots above the time stamp of the suspect post, and select the “Report” option.  Hopefully someone will be able to deal with it from there on. It has worked with previous malicious and/or insulting posts.

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.
 

 

[craiganderton]

On 7/21/2023 at 4:57 PM, datacommando said:

Hi,

 

Sadly this is a user group and is not moderated in the usual manner that you might expect.

 

If you think any post may be possible Spam, then click on the Ellipsis of 3 grey dots above the time stamp of the suspect post, and select the “Report” option.  Hopefully someone will be able to deal with it from there on. It has worked with previous malicious and/or insulting posts.

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.
 

 

Thanks! Very helpful.