stanzelr Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 Hi, I recently bought a HelixLT. I have used the HD300 and 500 so have some basic experience with the Line6 effects pedals. I enjoy Metallica-type tones so downloaded a bunch off CustomTone. The cleans were great, but anything heavy had this weird tinny sound to them. the same happened for some GNR tones., What am I doing wrong…? thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 I think Customtone can be a helpful starting point for getting good sounds. Many others suggest you avoid it entirely. In either case. a tone uploaded by any user can only consider the Helix device; it cannot consider the many differences between your other equipment and your listening environment. The guitar, strings, pickups, and - most importantly - your monitoring equipment has a huge impact on the tone you hear. It's also possible that the tone includes an IR on the Helix, whose absence on your device is very noticeable. I suggest starting with the cab and using lo/hi cuts. If the preset includes an IR, replace it with a cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 On 9/18/2024 at 2:11 PM, stanzelr said: What am I doing wrong…? Hi, Well, the first thing that springs to mind is - CustomTone. This has been discussed at length many, many times in these forums. If you download anything claiming to sound like, insert name of band/artist here, it is almost guaranteed that when you stick it into your HX device it will be nowhere even close. Why is that, you ask? O.K. consider this - unless you are using the exact same guitar, strings, pickups, playing with the same technique and listening through an identical monitoring system in the exact same environment, then - NO! it's not going to happen. Also bear in mind that some to the stuff posted on CustomTone might require the addition of a third party IR, that may be free, or needs to be purchased. CustomTone is possibly a starting point, but it is not the Holy Grail, lots of work may be required to get it sounding how you think it should. The best advice about this sort of thing is to "roll your own" tones. You cannot expect to push a foot switch and become Kirk Hammett. Hope this helps/makes sense 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanzelr Posted September 18 Author Share Posted September 18 As a rule, I start with highly rated tones that have a lot of downloads, which these Metallica/James Hetfield ones fit the bill. After doing more reading, it dawns on me that it may be the IRs as there was a message that the IRs were missing. Stupid me, I am not accustomed to IRs. Where would I find the appropriate IRs? Sorry for my ignorance, but know I greatly appreciate your help! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somebodyelse Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 Possibly, context. Possibly, it's just a poor preset. Customtone presets are submitted by random peeps on the internet. Some will know what they're doing, some just don't. In terms of 'context', it may be that within a full 'mix', that preset is spot on. How we perceive a guitar part sounds in a mix is not usually how it sounds in isolation. EDIT: Just read your recent post. If the IRs are missing, throw in a cab model that is appropriate to the amp in the preset. The mic placemnt may need adjustng and the low/high cuts may need tweeking, but I'd doubt there'd be a 'night and day' difference between an IR and the stock Helix cab. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 On 9/18/2024 at 5:33 PM, stanzelr said: Stupid me, I am not accustomed to IRs. Where would I find the appropriate IRs? It's not stupid if you are unaware of IRs and their uses. Generally the person who posts the Preset to CustomTone should leave a mention of what exact IR has been used, and where it is available for purchase, or download. I just did a quick check on a couple of Hetfield/Metallica presets and one listed two different IRs being used and stated that they were from Ownhammer. Some Ownhammer IR files are available from the Line 6 Marketplace or directly from their web store: https://www.ownhammer.com/store/ Other IR retail outlets are available, but remember not all IRs are created equal - i.e- some have more fans than others, and prices vary. I also noticed that some of the Metallica presets do not have any IR or Cabinets used in them, because the person who made the preset goes directly to their own amp/cab set up or a FRFR box. As noted by @somebodyelse in the post above, since the update to the Speaker Cabinet system in Helix you may be better off finding a suitable onboard cab and simply play around with different mics and positions. There is quite big selection to choose from. Have fun with your new LT, and experiment - the are really difficult to damage. Hope this helps/makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 On 9/18/2024 at 9:11 AM, stanzelr said: What am I doing wrong…? Nothing... You've just learned the most important modeling lesson there is: The final result of any patch is heavily dependent on a long list of variables, most of which are peculiar to the player who created it. Whatever you've downloaded was created by somebody else with a different guitar, different playing technique, a different playback system from whatever you're using, and (most critically) dialed in in an unknown context (solo, live with a band, playing along with backing tracks, etc), and at an unknown volume. The only common denominator is Helix...everything else is a mystery. That makes the odds of any given patch sounding the same on your end as it did to the guy who built it, slim to none. CustomTone is an idea that looks great on paper...especially advertising copy...but translates poorly into reality. Unfortunately for us all, it's been used to push the idea that tonal bliss is just one mouse click away. The truth is that there's little in the way of tonal continuity from one player to the next...there are simply too many variables, and no one piece of hardware can compensate for it all. Don't feel bad though...most of us end up learning this the hard way. The moral of the story is you have to get used to creating your own tones from scratch. The alternative is to spend hours downloading everything under the sun, then auditioning one after another in the hopes of eventually stumbling on the one or two patches that you might be able to use without extensive editing. Skip the middleman, you'll waste far less time in the long run. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanzelr Posted September 19 Author Share Posted September 19 After reading all of your great suggestions and doing more reading on this issue, I decided to replace IRs that were missing with suitable Cabs and changing Cabs and Mics on patches I wasnt happy with and ... well, now I am a very happy HelixLT owner! Thank you for all of your help and suggestions, they are greatly appreciated!! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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