Is learning Helix Native and a DAW worth the trouble for only quickly trying different effects?

[DugT]

Using Native to switch amps and other effects to fine tune a tone sounds quick and easy way to compare tones. However, is learning to use a DAW worth the trouble just to use Native? Based on what I've read, all DAWs are difficult and time consuming to learn. I've used Audacity a little and it was a PITA and never sounded good. I'm just a living room player but I do use Helix Edit on my PC.

[phil_m]

There are free VST loaders out there that will let you run Native like a standalone app, more or less. So if you don’t want to actually record anything, you could try one of those.

[SaschaFranck]

If you want an easy way to tweak and compare sounds, insert a looper as the first thing in your patches. Record something into the looper and tweak/compare to your hearts content without having to play.

[rd2rk]

On 11/25/2022 at 1:24 PM, DugT said:

Using Native to switch amps and other effects to fine tune a tone sounds quick and easy way to compare tones. However, is learning to use a DAW worth the trouble just to use Native?

 

No.

 

On 11/25/2022 at 1:24 PM, DugT said:

Based on what I've read, all DAWs are difficult and time consuming to learn.

 

There's a learning curve for everything. Was the learning curve required to play guitar worth it?

 

The MAIN reasons for learning any DAW are to record the sound of you playing guitar and for composing songs with multiple parts.

The MAIN purpose for using Native within a DAW is to be able to easily re-amp a part for comparison/combination.

There's lots of other reasons to use a DAW, but most of those can be accomplished using anything from a simple VST Host to a (much more complex than your average DAW) HOST/Performance SW such as Cantabile, which also allows for a simple two track recording of said performance.

 

All that said, once you've gotten past the basic setup and configuration issues using a DAW can be as simple as pushing the buttons on a tape recorder (digital recorder if you're not old enough to remember tape). You can even use your Helix/HXS to push those buttons.

 

If recording doesn't interest you, don't worry about it. Just play yer guitar.

If you generally have trouble using computers, don't worry about it. Just play yer guitar.

 

FWIW - I once tried Audacity and thought it was awful. Other people get on with it just fine. I use Reaper (practically unlimited options and nearly FREE), and I started on Cakewalk (now Cakewalk by Bandlab - FREE, very easy to use and prettier than Reaper).

 

Final thoughts - while Helix/HXS makes a perfectly acceptable recording interface, using it to play through Native (or any plugin) introduces a relatively (relative to many other AIs) high amount of LATENCY - the time between when you pick the note and when you hear it. You might find that annoying, and there's no reason to put up with it if you have a Helix/HXS for direct monitoring while recording. Just sayin'...

[MusicLaw]

@DugTcheck out VSTHost.exe. It's free, and allows you to launch Helix Native like a stand alone, w/o the complexity of running a DAW. Otherwise, many have been enjoying Reaper as well as Cubase LE12 which is now being bundled with Helix Family gear purchases through the end of June '23. @rd2rk is very familiar with using Reaper and may likely be a great resource to help get you going with Reaper.

[DugT]

On 11/25/2022 at 12:32 PM, phil_m said:

There are free VST loaders out there that will let you run Native like a standalone app, more or less. So if you don’t want to actually record anything, you could try one of those.

That sounds easy. But, if with VST I can't record and then use Native to change amps, how would it be different than just using Helix Edit?

[datacommando]

On 11/25/2022 at 10:27 PM, DugT said:

That sounds easy. But, if with VST I can't record and then use Native to change amps, how would it be different than just using Helix Edit?

Hi,

 

In your original post you said you were looking for a way “to switch amps and other effects to fine tune a tone sounds quick and easy way to compare tones”. The reply posed by @SaschaFranck is exactly what you mentioned. Place a looper block at the start of your signal chain and record into that, then you can change as many amp, cabs, and FX blocks as you wish while the loop plays back. Compare away to your heart’s content.
 

Solved!

 

If you are looking for anything deeper than that, you really need to follow the advice given by @rd2rk in the post above.

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

[DugT]

On 11/25/2022 at 3:45 PM, datacommando said:

Hi,

 

In your original post you said you were looking for a way “to switch amps and other effects to fine tune a tone sounds quick and easy way to compare tones”. The reply posed by @SaschaFranck is exactly what you mentioned. Place a looper block at the start of your signal chain and record into that, then you can change as many amp, cabs, and FX blocks as you wish while the loop plays back. Compare away to your heart’s content.
 

Solved!

 

If you are looking for anything deeper than that, you really need to follow the advice given by @rd2rk in the post above.

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

That makes perfect sense. Before replying about the looper method, I thought I should try it. Now for the embarrassing part. I can't figure out how to get the looper to start or stop recording. According to my looking into this, I should assign the looper to a stomp switch but that isn't working. Maybe I switched that ability off in Global Settings. I looked in Global Settings and haven't found a way to fix it. Any ideas? 

[datacommando]

On 11/26/2022 at 12:47 AM, DugT said:

That makes perfect sense. Before replying about the looper method, I thought I should try it. Now for the embarrassing part. I can't figure out how to get the looper to start or stop recording. According to my looking into this, I should assign the looper to a stomp switch but that isn't working. Maybe I switched that ability off in Global Settings. I looked in Global Setting and haven't found a way to fix it. Any ideas? 

Hi,

 

You didn’t mention what HX hardware you are using, but the solution to anything like this is usually available in the Owner’s Manual for you device.

 

Helix floor: page 39

https://line6.com/data/6/0a020a3f041b611d61cac763b/application/pdf/Helix 3.0 Owner's Manual - Rev F - English .pdf

 

Helix LT: page 41

https://line6.com/data/6/0a020a3f21c86112a483099fb/application/pdf/HX Stomp XL Owner's Manual - Rev B - English .pdf

 

HX Stomp: page 34

https://line6.com/data/6/0a020a418962611d636e7c51b/application/pdf/HX Stomp 3.0 Owner's Manual - Rev D - English .pdf

 

HX Stomp XL: page 38

https://line6.com/data/6/0a020a3f21c86112a483099fb/application/pdf/HX Stomp XL Owner's Manual - Rev B - English .pdf

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

[DugT]

On 11/25/2022 at 5:03 PM, datacommando said:

Hi,

 

You didn’t mention what HX hardware you are using, but the solution to anything like this is usually available in the Owner’s Manual for you device.

 

Helix floor: page 39

https://line6.com/data/6/0a020a3f041b611d61cac763b/application/pdf/Helix 3.0 Owner's Manual - Rev F - English .pdf

 

.......

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

That worked! I've become so accustomed to getting tips and tutorials from youtube and other posts, I forgot about the manual. It explained the looper well and I got it working. Thanks for the help! 

[SaschaFranck]

Regarding the looper: If you have a Floor, LT or Rack, use the 6-switch looper. The 1-switch looper will drive you crazy, I promise.

[DugT]

On 11/25/2022 at 6:07 PM, SaschaFranck said:

Regarding the looper: If you have a Floor, LT or Rack, use the 6-switch looper. The 1-switch looper will drive you crazy, I promise.

I have a Helix Floor and I figured out right away that the 6 Switch Looper is best and maybe the easiest to use. 

[DugT]

Using the Looper is great for my purposes. I can tweak all the settings while the looper is playing back the music. However, I have a question. When I play it sounds much better than the looper playing back. Why is that? Am I probably as bad as the recording? The live sound is more full and good whereas in the recording it seems my errors are much more conspicuous. By the way, the output is stereo through two good powered studio monitors. Maybe, when I am playing, I am too busy to hear the flaws.

[SaschaFranck]

On 11/27/2022 at 1:02 AM, DugT said:

Maybe, when I am playing, I am too busy to hear the flaws.

 

This.

And perhaps, in case you're not listening through headphones, it's might as well be the acoustic sound adding to a more pleasant experience.