decayingecho Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 Currently I go with an LA Studio Comp in the first block of my chain. Has anyone experienced any benefit in using an external compressor, say like a UA UAFX 1176 pedal? More specifically, outside of saving a small amount of DSP with the LA Studio Comp in the first block, is there any sonic benefit to using an external compressor before going into the Helix versus the onboard software compressors in the Helix? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theElevators Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 In my extensive experience with the Helix, there are no outside pedals that provide any sonic benefit. Having an external compressor allows you to adjust your input volume and level, something that the Helix does not have in the global sense. So I guess you would be able to use your presets with guitars that have different output level, e.g.: telecaster, EMG-equipped superstrat. Helix has absolutely everything, minus certain specific glitchy distortion/fuzz pedals. I love the legacy tube compressor in the Helix, it's very simple. Contrary to how most people would do this int the real world, I place my compressor between the amp and the cab block. Depending on the need, I also sometimes place a 10-band EQ to really clean up my sound for those nice sustain-y cleans. I set it so that the loudness of the compressor is the same with it on or off; the other "compressing" parameter I leave to the default setting. Another thing I had to do is turn down the "ripple" of the amp, because the compressor was really amplifying it. I actually assigned it to snapshots: set it to the regular value when the compressor is bypassed, and set it to 0 when the compressor is turned on. This gives me the best clean sounds. But, again, there is no reason (with minor exceptions) to use external pedals if you have a machine as complete and powerful as the Helix. Simpler is better. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decayingecho Posted October 23 Author Share Posted October 23 Thank you so much for such a thoughtful and detailed answer. I appreciate the extra information from your experience. Greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.