7+ years with the Helix..

[surfsup1955]

Still going strong.  The tap tempo/tuner footswitch is a bit quirky but still gets the job done.  It doesn’t like flip flops or my house slippers at all - it prefers stiffer soles.  Other than that the Helix Floor has been, and continues to remain, on the cutting edge of the growing list of modeling units out there.  

 

However, recently I took deliver of an FM9 to play around with just to see what it was all about.  One pro the FM9 has over the Helix is that a good many of the factory presets are totally usable as is - very little tweaking required to get going.  The next pro - being the unit provides visual metering for input, preset leveling, and output.  In fact, at initial set up of the FM9, Fractal strongly suggests that the operator gets these levels adjusted correctly, which ensures the factory presets sound right.  That’s about it.  Well… it does have more DSP but a non issue for me, I build and use fairly straight fwd presets.

 

I won’t go into all the Helix pros, but naturally there are quite a few for anyone who has spent so much time using it.  The most important and obvious being the logical and easy to use interface on the hardware, firmware, and the software.  The FX, amps, cabs are tit for tat, subjective, etc.

 

I’m pretty certain most new users that have a hard time liking Helix factory presets - or dialing in great presets is mostly due to the lack of metering/leveling.  I discovered (years ago) that building Helix presets via FOH mixer meters made a huge difference.  And with Helix Native, metering came along, and everyone realized that made a huge difference as well.

 

I ate the shipping and sent the FM9 back.  

[theElevators]

I was told people really like factory 3.50 presets.  But then again first thing I did when I got my Helix was to erase all of the factory presets, but that's just me, that's what I do with every single piece of gear. 

[DunedinDragon]

I bought my Helix Floor when they first came out in 2015 and I don't think I've ever even touched a factory preset.  What's the point?  It's highly unlikely they used a guitar like the one I use, and it's probably not likely they're using the same output rig as me.  I can waste my time a WHOLE lot better than that!!!!

[mattbarden]

I went down the Fractal road and came back to Helix plus Native for all my guitar sounds. There were just too many compromises I had to make in my workflow and cable routing situation that I didn't like. Getting everything to work like the Helix just does with one USB cord was a pain. It wasn't worth the 5-10% increase in better base sounds to me when you can dial either of them in to sound great. Both will require some tweaking!

[codamedia]

The Helix is the single best gear purchase I have made in my 40+ year career. It was the first modeler/multi-effect that met my wishlist, and has since exceeded it. 

[surfsup1955]

On 4/17/2023 at 3:41 PM, DunedinDragon said:

I bought my Helix Floor when they first came out in 2015 and I don't think I've ever even touched a factory preset.  What's the point?  It's highly unlikely they used a guitar like the one I use, and it's probably not likely they're using the same output rig as me.  I can waste my time a WHOLE lot better than that!!!!

I strolled through them when I first got the Helix, then once or twice after a few of the big updates, most notably v3.5, just to hear and see the settings.  But had I kept the FM9 I would have used quite a few of their presets with minor tweaks, they are that good.        

[surfsup1955]

On 4/17/2023 at 3:25 PM, theElevators said:

I was told people really like factory 3.50 presets.  But then again first thing I did when I got my Helix was to erase all of the factory presets, but that's just me, that's what I do with every single piece of gear. 

3.50 presets are the best they’ve ever provided to my ears..

[datacommando]

On 4/17/2023 at 5:10 PM, surfsup1955 said:

Still going strong.

 

I managed to grab my Helix Floor a couple of months after it was released back in 2015. Never used a factory preset for anything.

 

I'm studio based, but the Helix has been in almost daily use right from the off, and still going strong. I watched as others jumped ship to various versions of Fractals offerings and the Neural Quad Core, but never felt the need.

 

There are some things that Helix doesn't have, but it's not a real big deal - I utilise the FX Loops to patch in external Loopers, and oddball FX and reverbs (with adjustable shimmer on all types) such as those available on the DTP Ocean Machine. I still have a rack full of vintage 80s stuff that can be pressed into action when required (Yamaha SPX90 - Preset 15 - Symphonic for example). 

 

I can't see me making any changes, unless something truly spectacular arrives out of the blue with a sensible price tag - but it would have to be very special.

[ricstudioc]

Pragmatically - Helix has paid for itself many, many, many times over.  It has vastly simplified my load ins/outs, and minimized the cartage toll on my poor tired back.

 

Creatively - It's been remarkable, the sheer number of... everything... in Helix provides a damn near endless number of choices.  Unrivaled flexibility in routing and I/O's and loops.  Signal chains you'd never dare attempt in the "real" world.

 

No chance that I'll abandon Helix at any point.

[surfsup1955]

On 4/18/2023 at 12:02 PM, datacommando said:

 

I managed to grab my Helix Floor a couple of months after it was released back in 2015. Never used a factory preset for anything.

 

I'm studio based, but the Helix has been in almost daily use right from the off, and still going strong. I watched as others jumped ship to various versions of Fractals offerings and the Neural Quad Core, but never felt the need.

 

There are some things that Helix doesn't have, but it's not a real big deal - I utilise the FX Loops to patch in external Loopers, and oddball FX and reverbs (with adjustable shimmer on all types) such as those available on the DTP Ocean Machine. I still have a rack full of vintage 80s stuff that can be pressed into action when required (Yamaha SPX90 - Preset 15 - Symphonic for example). 

 

I can't see me making any changes, unless something truly spectacular arrives out of the blue with a sensible price tag - but it would have to be very special.

Ordered mine late 2015 - waitlisted by Sweetwater - arrived Feb, 2016.  The M13 was a big part of my signal chain, so I was pretty sure it was gonna be special.. it is.  I enjoyed tweaking with the FM9 and can see why it has such a loyal following but from what I could tell on the forums and YouTube, a lot of Fractal owners use 3rd party presets and don’t build their own - whereas it’s the opposite with HX gear.

[datacommando]

On 4/18/2023 at 9:49 PM, surfsup1955 said:

Ordered mine late 2015 - waitlisted by Sweetwater - arrived Feb, 2016. 

Ah, the dreaded “waiting list”.
 

Yep, when I initially contacted my retailer, he said they had sold the last one they had in stock earlier in the day, but he could put me on a list for the first available unit. 
 

imagine my surprise when he called me later that afternoon? It seems the guy, that had picked up the last one in the shop that morning, returned with the unopened box at lunchtime. The salesman told me that the guy had gone home and when his wife saw the Helix packaging just screamed at him to return it. Guess he never cleared his purchase with his wife. Anyhow, as the original seal was unbroken, if I wanted it (including a slight discount as a return item) then he could ship it to me the same evening! Deal done, and happy me! Yay!

[surfsup1955]

Yea.. sweet deal there!!

[theElevators]

On 4/17/2023 at 12:10 PM, surfsup1955 said:

It doesn’t like flip flops or my house slippers at all .

That, my friend is an indication that your micro-switches need to be cleaned.  My Floor was fine, then it stopped liking flip-flops.  And then the foot switches stopped working reliably. Got them cleaned, and it like flip-flops again. 

 

I think for me, besides what everybody speculates is that the foam inside the Helix disintegrates and small crumbs of it get inside the switch.  It was also not helpful that I played in a band where I was constantly switching sounds: like 30 times in one song.  So practicing alone was putting a lot of stress on my 2 buttons that were used the most often.  But then again, the Helix was only 2 years old for me and it was not used that much, because I have another Helix LT that I use as my practicing board, the Floor was for gigs and dress rehearsals.  So there...

[MGW-Alberta]

Six years for me.  Spring of 2017.  As codamedia said, it is the best gear investment I've ever made in my life.  Sometimes I wonder how I ever got along without it.

[craiganderton]

I'd consider getting something else if I ran out of possibilities with the Helix, but that hasn't happened yet and probably won't. It's deep enough to keep me interested, and friendly enough to keep using it.

[Paulzx]

On 4/17/2023 at 8:25 PM, theElevators said:

I was told people really like factory 3.50 presets.  But then again first thing I did when I got my Helix was to erase all of the factory presets, but that's just me, that's what I do with every single piece of gear. 

Mostly the 3.50 fandom was around the cabs I think, we all agreed the new cabs were a big improvement. I don't recall many saying the presets were great, I'm sure they are better but in general the factory presets are pretty dire to be honest. I don't know why that is but it doesn't really matter because one of the first things you learn about Helix is that you need to build your own presets.

[Paulzx]

On 4/17/2023 at 5:10 PM, surfsup1955 said:

Still going strong.  The tap tempo/tuner footswitch is a bit quirky but still gets the job done.  It doesn’t like flip flops or my house slippers at all - it prefers stiffer soles.  Other than that the Helix Floor has been, and continues to remain, on the cutting edge of the growing list of modeling units out there.  

 

However, recently I took deliver of an FM9 to play around with just to see what it was all about.  One pro the FM9 has over the Helix is that a good many of the factory presets are totally usable as is - very little tweaking required to get going.  The next pro - being the unit provides visual metering for input, preset leveling, and output.  In fact, at initial set up of the FM9, Fractal strongly suggests that the operator gets these levels adjusted correctly, which ensures the factory presets sound right.  That’s about it.  Well… it does have more DSP but a non issue for me, I build and use fairly straight fwd presets.

 

I won’t go into all the Helix pros, but naturally there are quite a few for anyone who has spent so much time using it.  The most important and obvious being the logical and easy to use interface on the hardware, firmware, and the software.  The FX, amps, cabs are tit for tat, subjective, etc.

 

I’m pretty certain most new users that have a hard time liking Helix factory presets - or dialing in great presets is mostly due to the lack of metering/leveling.  I discovered (years ago) that building Helix presets via FOH mixer meters made a huge difference.  And with Helix Native, metering came along, and everyone realized that made a huge difference as well.

 

I ate the shipping and sent the FM9 back.  

This is interesting. The FM9 is a great unit for sure, but I don't think I would give up my Helix floor at this point just due to familiarity and functionality. My impression is that if you're playing anything other than high gain, it may not noticeably be any different in terms of sound quality. Are the FM9 Marshall tones noticeably any better than the Helix, does anyone know?

[surfsup1955]

On 4/25/2023 at 7:43 AM, Paulzx said:

This is interesting. The FM9 is a great unit for sure, but I don't think I would give up my Helix floor at this point just due to familiarity and functionality. My impression is that if you're playing anything other than high gain, it may not noticeably be any different in terms of sound quality. Are the FM9 Marshall tones noticeably any better than the Helix, does anyone know?

 

On 4/20/2023 at 6:12 PM, theElevators said:

That, my friend is an indication that your micro-switches need to be cleaned.  My Floor was fine, then it stopped liking flip-flops.  And then the foot switches stopped working reliably. Got them cleaned, and it like flip-flops again. 

 

I think for me, besides what everybody speculates is that the foam inside the Helix disintegrates and small crumbs of it get inside the switch.  It was also not helpful that I played in a band where I was constantly switching sounds: like 30 times in one song.  So practicing alone was putting a lot of stress on my 2 buttons that were used the most often.  But then again, the Helix was only 2 years old for me and it was not used that much, because I have another Helix LT that I use as my practicing board, the Floor was for gigs and dress rehearsals.  So there...

I need to try and clean the switched for sure.. haven't been inside the unit yet.  soon 

[surfsup1955]

On 4/25/2023 at 7:43 AM, Paulzx said:

This is interesting. The FM9 is a great unit for sure, but I don't think I would give up my Helix floor at this point just due to familiarity and functionality. My impression is that if you're playing anything other than high gain, it may not noticeably be any different in terms of sound quality. Are the FM9 Marshall tones noticeably any better than the Helix, does anyone know?

The FM9 factory Marshall presets I played were 100% outstanding - dynamics are wonderful -  but not sure they are any better than Helix.  My problem with Marshall tone is that my style of playing always leans me towards the Fender tones, which I can dial in pretty good.  I typically rely on 3rd party for good Marshall tones.. John Nathan Cordy (YouTube) has repeatedly demonstrated that yea, Helix can nail down Marshall.  But, then again, he can nail jello to the wall.