My first Big Helix

[sdahe]

Hello,

 

A long time ago I had an HX Stomp and ended up selling it but now IM back with the big boy.. The Helix Floor.. the big boy. I have many questions but here are the ones that I want to know first...

 

1. When sending my XLR signal to the mixer of our band.. is their a certain volume value I need to set my Helix?.. I've seen some people having that big volume knob at 50% and other 100%. 

 

2. What is the correct or the best way to setup my Helix at home before I take it to a gig?.. I don't know if Im doing it correctly but.. Im plugging the Helix to a Headrush FRFR Speaker with the volume of the Helix at 50%. Im using the XLR out from the Helix to the Headrush speaker. 

 

Well thanks to all the help I can get for now.

[DunedinDragon]

Personally I don't worry about the volume knob.  In global in/outs I disable the volume knob and I set the output of my XLR to Mic level.  This presents a consistent signal level to the mixing board which can then be gain staged appropriately with all other inputs.  This also removes the possibility of the volume knob on the Helix getting changed by accident.  What this also means is you need to develop a method of keeping your presets at a consistent level so changing presets doesn't dramatically affect the level going into the mixer.  In my case I have the mixing board we use so I can use the signal level meter to help me when dialing in a preset.  You also have a built in signal meter in your Helix so that if you select the output block of your preset you can get a reasonable idea of how hot your signal is and can adjust it using the output level on the output block, or adjusting your amp model's channel volume which doesn't affect your tone.  This becomes pretty important since all the Helix amp models are based on the actual circuits in the real amp so their setting will vary considerably as far as output levels.

 

Going direct into your Headrush speaker is only going to allow you to set your level by ear.  It takes a while to get a feel for how to adjust your levels so they're consistent but it has an advantage of making it easy at gig time when everything needs to be gain staged at sound check.  As an added note you should also make sure you set the gain knob on your speaker to 50% or 12 0'clock as well as that is basically unity level for the speaker's amp.  You should also check that you have the Headrush set for Mic level input rather than Line level input which is the default setting were you to have it connected to a mixing board.

 

This is actually a fairly broad subject with lots of different ways to do it.  Mine is just one way to do it but it's worked for me since 2015 when I first started using my Helix.  I might suggest you invest in Craig Anderton's  "Big Book of Helix Tips & Tricks" available as an online download from Sweetwater.  It's a one time investment but it constantly gets updated and you can download all updates for free and it has all the nitty gritty details about how to best use you Helix in all sorts of areas.

[rd2rk]

1 - You want a consistent signal to FOH. In Global Settings>Ins/Outs set the XLR Outs to LINE and BIG KNOB CONTROLS to something other than XLR. This will provide a UNITY SIGNAL (Out = In) to FOH with no chance that the BIG KNOB setting getting accidentally changed will cause FOH to want to kill you.

 

2 - Create your presets at or near performance level (at least 90db), then make sure that all of your presets have the same output level so that the really soft ones won't get lost in the mix causing FOH to turn you UP so that when you load the one that's way louder than the others it causes FOH to want to kill you.

 

The way I level my presets is to take the signal into a DAW (I use Reaper) and put a level meter (I use the JS Loudness Meter) on the track. If you set all of your presets' output levels to between -18db and -12db (pick a level and stick to it!) that should make any FOH tech happy. If you have access to a decent PA, create a few representative presets and test them. My above recommendations might be too conservative, or too hot for IEMs.

 

If your HR FRFR will be your stage monitor, take the 1/4" L/Mono Out to it and set BIG KNOB CONTROLS to 1/4" Out. 50% sounds about right.

 

If you're using it to create your presets from the XLRs at UNITY then use the Volume knob on the FRFR to set the room level and use a db meter (phone type will work) to get the level in the room up to AT LEAST 90db so that you're over the Fletcher-Munson effect.

[rd2rk]

On 5/24/2023 at 12:03 AM, DunedinDragon said:

As an added note you should also make sure you set the gain knob on your speaker to 50% or 12 0'clock as well as that is basically unity level for the speaker's amp.  You should also check that you have the Headrush set for Mic level input rather than Line level input which is the default setting were you to have it connected to a mixing board.

 

The HR FRFR speakers don't have a preamp, as they are not intended for PA use, so this is not accurate. The Volume knob is just a straight-ahead volume knob.

[brue58ski]

This has essentially been mentioned before but, I set up the Volume knob to control only the 1/4" ouputs. You do this in global settings. I send those outputs to anything I may want on stage to monitor myself if needed, and I can control the level from the Helix. This then means the XLR's are setup to not be controlled by the Volume knob. This results in the output of the XLR's to be the same as if the Volume knob were to be turned all the way up. That is unity gain. That's what you want. I actually create my patches at home with the XLR's set to line level out for my mixer which is set to receive a line level signal into the XLR inputs. It's an acutual analog mixer and I set the patches up to about -10dB. That's what I was told to do by the main sound guy I work with. YMMV. Sonce the Volume knob isn't controlling anything, I adjust the ouput level with the amps Ch Vol or even the Gain or Level controls in a compressor if I'm using one at the end of my patch. Then, when I plug into a mixer at a gig, I switch it to mic level. This is what the FOH mixer XLR inputs I normally plug into are set to receive. You may run into a mixer whose XLR's are set to receive line leve. If the sound guy says you signal is low and the XLR's are set to mic level, that could be the issue. So start with the Helix XLR's outputs set to mic level. It's just safer that way. You won't accidentally send an extremely hot signal to the mixer. One other thing to watch out for is to make sure the mixer itself is NOT set for phantom power on the XLR input. The Helix does not play well with phantom. As far as I know, this has not resulted in any damage to the Helix, so if it does happen don't panic. The main thing is if you sound crappy or weird, I would definitely make sure the XLR input is not set to phantom power. When it happened to me, it was very obvious the sound was bad, it wasn't subtle. One other thing that has happened to me is that neither the mic or line levels for the XLR's were not good levels so I changed the XLR's so that they were controlled by the Volume knob. I could then adjust accordingly. Just warning so if you come across a "professional" sound guy who isn't happy with your levels, this is a good quick fix. Hope this all helps in some way.

[Smashcraaft]

On 5/24/2023 at 5:22 PM, brue58ski said:

Then, when I plug into a mixer at a gig, I switch it to mic level. This is what the FOH mixer XLR inputs I normally plug into are set to receive. You may run into a mixer whose XLR's are set to receive line leve. If the sound guy says you signal is low and the XLR's are set to mic level, that could be the issue. So start with the Helix XLR's outputs set to mic level. It's just safer that way.

 

That's the best way to go!

[sdahe]

Can somebody send me to the right direction.. Im looking for an all around preset I can use for my gigs. I play in a duo and we do soft rock, classic rock, 80's and 90's rock stuff. Im looking for a nice all around preset I can use with snapshots.. I usually play with strat and teles.

 

Thanks

[toddkc]

On 5/24/2023 at 6:00 PM, sdahe said:

Can somebody send me to the right direction.. Im looking for an all around preset I can use for my gigs. I play in a duo and we do soft rock, classic rock, 80's and 90's rock stuff. Im looking for a nice all around preset I can use with snapshots.. I usually play with strat and teles.

 

Thanks

I got you dude.  I'll go grab my helix over lunch and copy my preset.  It's so far the best single preset I've come up with for covering pretty much any genre other than metal.  We play some Metallica, but that's as heavy as we get.

Cover Band.hlx

Edited May 25, 2023 by toddkc
attached preset

[sdahe]

On 5/25/2023 at 11:41 AM, toddkc said:

I got you dude.  I'll go grab my helix over lunch and copy my preset.  It's so far the best single preset I've come up with for covering pretty much any genre other than metal.  We play some Metallica, but that's as heavy as we get.

Cover Band.hlx 20.17 kB · 0 downloads

Hey man... thanks.. something weird I found with your preset is that it has a humm sound even when the guitar volume is all the way down.  As soon as I shut off the amp block it goes away. Do you get this in your Helix?

[toddkc]

On 5/25/2023 at 12:12 PM, sdahe said:

Hey man... thanks.. something weird I found with your preset is that it has a humm sound even when the guitar volume is all the way down.  As soon as I shut off the amp block it goes away. Do you get this in your Helix?

No I sure don't.  Hmmm....you can try selecting a different amp and then going back to the Litigator to reset it to the defaults.

[sdahe]

On 5/25/2023 at 1:29 PM, toddkc said:

No I sure don't.  Hmmm....you can try selecting a different amp and then going back to the Litigator to reset it to the defaults.

I did and the hum hums back... it's so weird.. 

[toddkc]

On 5/25/2023 at 12:34 PM, sdahe said:

I did and the hum hums back... it's so weird.. 

Is it just single-coil noise?  Do you have the "clean" snapshot selected (meaning the hum may be gain from one of the OD pedals)?  If you make a new preset and just use one block with the litigator do you get the same hum?

[rd2rk]

The only hum I hear is on the Crunch and Heavy snapshots.

In both of those the Minotaur is engaged with the GAIN dimed.

Just like ITRW, an OD with the GAIN dimed is gonna be noisy.

In the HEAVY snapshot the 808 is stacked in front of the Minotaur with its GAIN at 0 but its VOLUME dimed.

Noisy times 10.

Again, just like ITRW.

 

[rd2rk]

On 5/25/2023 at 11:38 AM, toddkc said:

Is it just single-coil noise?  Do you have the "clean" snapshot selected (meaning the hum may be gain from one of the OD pedals)?  If you make a new preset and just use one block with the litigator do you get the same hum?

 

I tested it with HBrs. I didn't bother with my Strat because... YOW!

[toddkc]

On 5/25/2023 at 12:43 PM, rd2rk said:

 

I tested it with HBrs. I didn't bother with my Strat because... YOW!

Gain levels will of course vary by guitar.  I still feel like I've had two "faulty" helixes with super-padded inputs.  When I play this preset at gig volume with my strat-copy (with a HB in the bridge), with the minotaur dimed, it's still just barely enough gain for me.  And that's for classic rock songs, not metal.  

[rd2rk]

On 5/25/2023 at 11:49 AM, toddkc said:

Gain levels will of course vary by guitar.  I still feel like I've had two "faulty" helixes with super-padded inputs.  When I play this preset at gig volume with my strat-copy (with a HB in the bridge), with the minotaur dimed, it's still just barely enough gain for me.  And that's for classic rock songs, not metal.  

 

Actually talking about the noise perceived by @sdahe. Helix FX models are pretty accurate. If a configuration is noisy with HBrs, a SSS Strat, especially without a RW middle PU, is gonna be REALLY noisy! My first test was with my PRS, which has pretty high output PUPs. There was noise in HB mode, but that got REALLY loud in single coil mode. After you described your guitar I tried it with my HSS Strat, which has much lower output PUPs. The noise was much diminished, but definitely there in positions 3 and 5. Overall, though, I like the preset much better with the HSS Strat. It's a nice sounding GP rock preset!

 

[brue58ski]

One thing I don't think has been mentioned, the USB connection can add noise to the signal so if you are hooked up to the computer via USB, unplug it and see if the hum goes away.