Is "The Big Book of Helix Tips and Tricks" at Sweetwater worth it?

[guitargrinder]

Is "The Big Book of Helix Tips and Tricks" at Sweetwater worth it? 

[silverhead]

For me it certainly is.

[rd2rk]

First, RTM!!! First, RTM!!! First, RTM!!! Did I mention, First, RTM!!!

Then, if you want to dive deeper, get the BBHT&T.

[kduck]

Worth it for the presets alone. Add to that the deep dives on each effect/amp/feature and I'd call it a bargain. 

[datacommando]

On 11/3/2024 at 6:13 PM, guitargrinder said:

Is "The Big Book of Helix Tips and Tricks" at Sweetwater worth it? 

What a very strange question to post here. 
 

Buy it, read it, and then you can tell us what you think.

[somebodyelse]

A Helix costs over a grand.

The book costs $20. If you can't afford to waste $20, then you need to rethink your priorities.

[craiganderton]

I'm the author. I wanted to give a heads-up that the book has been through four free updates, but there will be another free update after the next Helix firmware becomes available. To obtain the update, all you need to do is download the book again. Whatever you download will always be the most current update. Updates cover the features from new firmware, but they also include more applications for new and existing features.

 

To find out what people think, check out the reader reviews on the Sweetwater site. They've all been extremely positive except for a couple people who expected it to be a "Helix 101" book for beginners. It is not. It's written to cover what's not in the manual, describe applications (e.g., virtual "Nashville tuning"), and provide technical information about the blocks that isn't available anywhere else. The original reason for writing the book was because the manual didn't describe what the block parameters actually do.

 

The only other caveat is the presets. Not all are meant to be "plug and play." Some are simply designed to show a particular technique, so you load them to experiment with something described in the text. Then using what you learned from reading the book, you can modify them for your specific needs.

 

Scroll down the book's landing page and you'll see the contents toward the bottom. The topics that are covered will help you decide if you want to go deep into maximizing the Helix's potential, or need something more introductory.

[MusicLaw]

@guitargrinder, the answer to your question is: Absolutely Yes! You will discover things that about the gear that will astound you! 

[craiganderton]

I also should have mentioned there's contact info in the book for suggestions and comments. So if the book doesn't include something you want to see, or if something isn't clear, let me know and there's a good chance the next update will accommodate what you want. Many changes in the updates are the direct result of reader feedback. Some readers have even been kind enough to point out the occasional typo so I could fix it.

[mlwinnig]

On 11/3/2024 at 12:13 PM, guitargrinder said:

Is "The Big Book of Helix Tips and Tricks" at Sweetwater worth it? 

 

ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT! 

 

Thorough explanation of features / tips / tricks. Tons of useful presets and how created and how to use and tweak them. Free updates when SW changes.

 

PRICELESS ACCESS TO THE AUTHOR HERE!

[Vladllen1054]

On 11/5/2024 at 8:00 PM, craiganderton said:

I'm the author. I wanted to give a heads-up that the book has been through four free updates, but there will be another free update after the next Helix firmware becomes available. To obtain the update, all you need to do is download the book again. Whatever you download will always be the most current update. Updates cover the features from new firmware, but they also include more applications for new and existing features.

 

To find out what people think, check out the reader reviews on the Sweetwater site. They've all been extremely positive except for a couple people who expected it to be a "Helix 101" book for beginners. It is not. It's written to cover what's not in the manual, describe applications (e.g., virtual "Nashville tuning"), and provide technical information about the blocks that isn't available anywhere else. The original reason for writing the book was because the manual didn't describe what the block parameters actually do.

 

The only other caveat is the presets. Not all are meant to be "plug and play." Some are simply designed to show a particular technique, so you load them to experiment with something described in the text. Then using what you learned from reading the book, you can modify them for your specific needs.

 

Scroll down the book's landing page and you'll see the contents toward the bottom. The topics that are covered will help you decide if you want to go deep into maximizing the Helix's potential, or need something more introductory. The Big Book of Helix Tips and Tricks is a great resource if you want to deepen your understanding of the Helix. However, if you prefer learning through examples and practical applications, other free resources are worth exploring. For instance, I recently came across this page about career essays, like "A Lawyer - My Future Career" which provides great tips on structuring and analyzing complex topics https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/a-lawyer-my-future-career/ While unrelated to Helix, the clear and organized approach can inspire how you tackle learning guides or manuals. Ultimately, if you enjoy detailed insights with step-by-step guidance, the book from Sweetwater could still be a good investment.

Thanks for info.

[TLF2007]

I think the book was worth it. It had some interesting sound design topics that made me think of some things differently. The content is all relevant. I was a long time user of the Helix before I got it and a mentor on Facebook for it, etc, so I understood the unit well but still got some great insights from the book. I also got the Studio One book Craig Anderton wrote and had a similar experience.

 

However, the Sweetwater update process for new book editions -while is pointed out by the author in this thread as free-there is NO cohesive process or links to do so and @craiganderton and others shouldn't be trying to sell you on that point.  His point on going and "downloading the book again" via the links/process doesn't work as there is no obvious process to do so. To be fair, it hasn't meant enough for me to do any Google searches or reaching out to Sweetwater to figure that out, because the base material, in both cases, has given me what I needed from it but they don't make updates easy at all.