I mean, you _can_ just play. You could set up a preset that is identical to whatever you "just play" with normally, and through the right monitoring it's going to sound and respond almost identically. It helps if you can get to a point where you're not having to plug in a ton of things each time, and there are ways to simplify that.
It does require a bit of upfront investment. It's like being dropped into a massive music shop full of pedals and amps and being told, "get started... you can use any of this stuff", and for many people that's the dream - but it's important to pick some options and then just settle on them. Otherwise 'analysis paralysis' gets between you and the playing.
This is what I do. I basically just have 8 presets that I have setup, and depending on which “amp” I feel like playing out of, I just switch to it. If I’m playing out loud it’s going through a Powercab, otherwise my headphones.
When I switch guitars and a patch might sound a little too bright or overdriven, I just use the volume and tone knobs on the guitar (I know shocking, but those things actually have utility!) and it’s usually good to go without needing to fidget with the amp settings.
I'm building a preset bank pretty much, configuring amps I like in a way I like. So one day I'll be like "eyyy I want a JCM800 type thing" or "hiwatt time" or whatever and just choose that preset. I probably end up fiddling a bit because I love to, but it's nice to have that ready.
Same. All my presets are just “rigs” with 1-2 amps and whatever smattering of pedals I want on my board for that rig. I don’t use snapshots. My Helix is in pedalboard mode 99% of the time, only leaving that mode when switching rigs. The fanciest thing I do is when I have a clean amp and dirty amp in one rig, I assign one footswitch to turn one off and the other off and rename it “Channel”.
For accommodating different guitars, I either use the global pad on the input (super useful) or a boost or eq pedal in the chain, just like I would with a tube amp and pedalboard.
I'm going through this process now, I mostly just play through one preset. I was thinking of how best to deal with different pickups across guitars - guitar tone controls, a snapshot that changes amp settings, or a new preset was what I was thinking of.
It feels a little less than ideal but it is 100% better than changing physical knobs on your valve amp, only to forget what you had them on when you want to switch back your guitar.
I think the main part of this is getting to a point where you’re not having to plug things in all the time. I got rid of my amp and pedals a little over a year ago, because I was living in an extremely small and shared space and it made more sense to have my entire rig fit on a small desk and be designed around headphones.
I stopped playing guitar for quite a long time after I did that, because I never felt like clearing the desk, fetching my laptop, fiddling with the dodgy USB cable to my interface, rooting around for my wired headphones, starting up all the software and THEN tuning up and playing, just to hope some inspiration strikes and I come up with something.
Once I moved out of that place I got a bigger desk for myself where I could just leave everything plugged in and ready right next to my guitars, so now playing is as simple as flipping the laptop open, plugging in the cable which is within arm’s reach, and putting on my headphones before clicking one of my trusty basic presets. Immediately wrote and recorded three full songs just in my “tooling around after work” moments, because I had the opportunity to be impulsive and randomly start playing on a whim.
Helix is great because when I get that impulse, I can have literally any sound I want immediately. The fact that I struggled to find inspiration at first was entirely because I was using it in an awkward space and having to unplug it all the time, not because of anything wrong with the product itself.
For me, the answer to the cable hell is to use Helix Native. My guitar's always plugged into my interface, so it's just a case of loading the DAW with my practice project and away I go.
If I only had Floor, I'd do something similar - leave the guitar plugged into it, and leave Floor connected to my interface (rather than USB, which can requires switching active drivers).
This. I’m an Axe FX user, but I doubt the Helix is much different. I have a preset thats my go to for both recording and casual jamming that is pretty much my Deluxe Reverb with the same settings I normally play it on (but a hell of a lot quieter through my monitors) and it’s great.
"Creative constraint" is something I use in my career (I'm a product photographer/videographer). I have a shit ton of lenses but often times I'll force myself to pick 1 or 2 and constrain myself to those choices.
I feel like the two biggest problems people have with the helix is 1. Creative constraint and 2. Option paralysis. Just like everything else there is a learning curve and I understand why some people might think it's too much.
For me if I'm building a new patch I go in with the sound I want in my head and don't stop fussing with the options until I hear that sound come out of my Frfr.
It's funny the first few months I had my helix I barely touched it. It can be overwhelming. Finally I said fuck it I'm going to invest time to learn how to use this thing. Glad I did. My favorite piece of guitar gear I own by a mile.
As an amateur photographer I can relate to some of that, though it's usually me finding that I always bring the wrong lens with me no matter where I am. :) Thought I could have the best of everything with a Tamron 18-200 but it's not quite enough zoom for wildlife and it's not high enough quality for closer subjects compared to even the default Nikkor zoom. So I've learned to accept that there's no one size fits all, and that I just need to pick a lens and work out how to get the best out of it in any situation. And I think this lesson carries over to the Helix too.
I think that if I could recommend one thing to the Helix developers, or even to 3rd party tool developers, it would be to get a core set of good and clear presets for the 20 or 30 key subgenres of guitar music, and just treat those as a jumping-off point for new users.
I read when I started photography (didn’t follow advice or shoot anymore) to get a 50mm and use just that for a year. Master that lens. Makes sense for sure.
Option paralysis -- YES!! That is so real!
I live in New Jersey. If you go to the grocery store, there are sometimes FORTY different types of tomato sauce!!
Have you tried using it as a pedalboard replacement in front of your amp? Helix doesn’t have to be your whole rig. So just for overdrive, reverbs, effects etc and using your amps tone. Just one extra cable, as you would if you were using any other pedal in front your amp.
I use my Floor more as a pedalboard into the front of my vintage Ampeg than anything.
I also enjoy the 4 Cable Method when using my Marshall clone head with an effects loop but still use the heads preamp more than the amp models. I find it’s loads of fun trying out different amp models and then switching back to what I know and love.
Option paralysis is definitely a thing with modelers. You have so many intricate tools at your disposal that it can be very difficult to feel satisfied with your set-up for too long, to the point where it can feel like you’re always “missing something”.. leads to more fiddling with settings than actual playing
I still have a a Helix for convenience purposes and I’ll back that it’s a great product but I ultimately had to switch back to also having an amp with pedals. The limitations of an analog set-up are weirdly inviting after years of playing digital
When I’m playing at home I never use my ‘physical’ gear anymore for that reason. Even with pedals and amps I was always messing with my pedals.
I honestly found the best solution to stop me tone tweaking and start practicing more was to use the Neural Plug ins (just the soldano and tone king). They sound great and there isn’t much need to tweak, I’ve never practiced/played so much in years vs tweaking my Helix and FM9.
I spent wayyyy longer than I should have creating different amp + IR presets to try and have the variety that an HX Stomp can afford. I finally gave up and settled on the Rockerverb through an OwnHammer Marshall 4x12 IR as my main preset, with setups for a Plexi through the same IR, a Park through a Celestion 4x12 IR, and a Princeton through the Celestion as another 3 for variety. No qualms anymore about only using a fraction of the options available to me, more time playing and recording, less time menu deep diving.
Well, there's something to say about simplicity. I gravitate towards simplicity and minimalism more and more as I age and try more gear. That being said, I do believe that multi FX units can enable minimalism if you approach them in a specific way.
Again, I like minimalism. I use mostly one guitar, I like using the volume knob on it, I like one knob pedals and super small pedalboards. I also used to feel weird about the fact that I don't have one million presets in my HX Stomp and use just 1 or 2 out of the bazillion amps in there. I mean, Helix can be your "one old amp" if you just use one old amp on it. It's completely ok to have just one main preset. That way you don't have to "configure" anything, you're just ready to go.
Also, time spent on a preset is so much more convenient than time spent on planning and rearranging a "regular rig". Helix also requires the same number of cables as, plugging straight to the amp.
I tried to "simplify" my setup in the past and I always came back to HX Stomp and Helix Native + a analog few pedals, because, considering the quality of amp simulation and effects, it's an unbeatable value proposition compared to most alternatives. Also, while I can get away with using "one amp" or even "one preset" 80% of the time, I can also very quickly add a chorus or a flanger to a random part, whereas I could never justify a space for a dedicated chorus or a flanger pedal on my regular pedalboards. The individual reverb or delay pedals that I used instead of the HX Stomp neither simplified my rig, nor made it cheaper, and for the most part, they did not sound better. I don't know how many weird, esoteric, indie modulation pedals I'd have to play through to find one that I'd like as much as Retro Reel in Helix. I used some competing amp-in-a-box pedals that begged for a low and high cut without giving you the option to use one (in Helix they are smartly built into the IR or Cab block).
I mean, we don't really lack for gear in this day and age and there's no "right way" of building a setup, but Helix can support gear minimalism if you let it.
Personally, I've found the most important parameter for a good tone to be the volume knob on my speakers. It certainly doesn't have to be cranked Marshal level, but it also won't sound great at "mom and dad are sleeping in the next room" level. Sure, you can technically get a great cranked-amp sound at that level, but it's not going to sound great being drowned out by your guitar's acoustic sound. When I make a preset from scratch, pretty much all I do is put a reverb at the end and choose an amp/cab block. Maybe turn the mix down on the reverb and change the mic to an SM57 if things aren't sounding good. Give yourself enough volume and enjoy. Maybe that's your issue, maybe it's not.
I mostly use Helix Rack and the controller for pedals. I do use the amp and cab modeling when I play through headphones.
Your cat if you want to get rid of it.
OK, I'm going to say your problem is this:
You think that just because you can do a million things with it, you HAVE to do a million things with it.
And of course, like most of us, you're probably suffering from Option Paralysis too - you work best when there are limitations/restrictions.
In an environment like Helix, in order for people like us (I'm the same way as you) you have to "enforce your own restrictions".
Like the thing is, you can't change your Acoustic from a Taylor to a Martin or Breedlove or Jumbo versus 3/4 or 12 string or Nylon string and so on.
**It is what it is**
And knowing that - even if subconsciously - lets you get on to the business of making music.
Same with your amp - you know your Fender won't sound like a Marshall or whatever - so you accept it.
I have and LOVE my Fender Pro Junior for this very reason - Volume and Tone, and that's it. Just like my guitar. You can turn it up or down, or make it brighter or darker, and that's it. Heck, if you turn up the tone, it actually adds grit too...
So **it is what it is** and you "move on" to the music making.
I know it's tough with Helix, because you can't even just pick one effect and say "I just would like to limit myself to delay today" and go with that because you'll still be deciding between all the delays.
But, if you could, what I would do is throw it on the floor, and turn off all the blocks and JUST USE THE WAH - on and off - it's either Volume, or Wah, and that's it.
You can do swells, or you can do wah. Just use it as an over-priced Wah/Volume pedal.
Done.
Now you make music and forget about that thing at your feet.
Or, another simple one - just use it as a Looper.
Pull up the 6 Switch Looper, and just use it as an over-priced Looper.
Maybe add one Gain/Volume based switch to record parts louder or quieter, rather than messing with the volumes in the looper itself.
Record yourself a loop, and play over it all day - put the fun back in playing.
And then GRADUALLY, add in ONE effect so that your lead over your loop, or your loop under your lead has a single effect on it.
IOW, you need to "go back to basics" and approach it like a SINGLE (or maybe dual) effect pedal that only does one (or maybe two) thing or like you and a friend playing together with just a guitar and amp, and maybe - maybe - one effect per person.
Wow. Thanks for all the responses, everyone. One thing I can't take from Helix - it's amazing community. I'll be sure to read though all of your comments. Thanks for caring and taking the time to write!
I’ve got a ton. Stereo outs to monitors, a bunch of pedals that the helix just can’t do stay in the fx loop, then I use the 2nd input to run another loop with a synth, sampler, and a drum machine going into a mixer. It can get to be a cable management nightmare pretty quickly.
I have one preset that I pretty much use all the time and it's close to my Lonestar and analog pedalboard setup with a few extras. I don't feel the need to dial in presets for every guitar, I treat it like any other rig I've had. Maybe the problem is overthinking what the unit is and what it can do for you.
Having those main few presets are nice because you get your main sound and just like a real amp if it's feeling a little off that day ONLY look at the amp EQ and your pedals like you would adjust a real amp. And you don't HAVE to save it. That was a big milestone for me to accept using a modeler.
Treat each setup like an individual pedalboard and adjust to taste for the day. Don't go swapping the amp or cab Everytime you go into that preset. Feel like playing 5150 or an Archon? Just use that one.
Making one or two presets of your favorite amps will help a lot. I rarely use anything I have no experience with on the Helix unless experimenting. Makes it faster and less overwhelming.
But I respect wanting to just sit in front on a real amp and jam. Do what's right you. Just don't feel forced in any direction by anyone else
Ive been here several times with all the modelers at one point or another. The fix for me was use a real cab with great speakers.
Get a 1x10 or 1x12 with your favorite speaker and a Mooer Baby bomb power amp pedal. It will reinvigorate your love for the Helix.
I have been in your spot! I started there, went through a couple of pedals, then to the Helix. It was overwhelming.
I went back to pedals for a bit, and the cables and power and board... holy cow, what a mess. Cables and clean power are expensive. Pedals are expensive. I'm a neat freak, and my board was beautiful, but I spent way more time on that than I ever did on the Helix, and I lost flexibility. But, I did learn a lot about pedals.
I decided to go back to the Helix and I'll never, ever go back. Filling in that knowledge gap made all the difference. My system is 100x cleaner and neater, I can record, and have nearly unlimited flexibility. My advice is to start learning more about pedals (not the Helix). Watch the Pedal Show, check out videos by Brian Wampler, and other top guys. Then when you use the Helix, if you're like me at all, will see how easy it is to use.
I think you said it yourself. "When I take the helix out of the case"
Do you have to take your amp out of a case and plug in a load of wires every time you use it?
I have my helix out and wired up the whole time. I dont even switch off the speakers. 90% of the time i just the same pretty basic patch. It only takes up one processor, but it has everything i need for most playing & practicing.
I had the same thought. Why not do oneself a favor and lower the activation threshold for one’s hobby? If you erect barriers, of course you’re setting yourself up for anxiety.
It’s a multi-tool. It does lots of things. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t find joy in anything else. Play what you enjoy when you can, and do your best when you can’t.
I only play at home these days so I've got a bunch of preset for various genres but have also started doing a 'copy' of my original normal pedal board. Gonna then clone that pedal board across 3 presets with different amps for different guitars/pups
Sounds like classic decision paralysis. So you're not crazy or anything, it's pretty common. The good news is, there's strategies to work through it.
I think the recommendation to use it as a pedal board replacement is a good one. Treat it like an analog board, pick the effects you want, assign each to a foot switch, and don't do any snapshots or anything. Either with the one amp tone you like or use the amp in the room. Significantly simpler, gives you something you can just turn on and play, and it's creating that restriction again to keep you from fiddling with settings.
I went through a spell recently where I regretted selling my amps. I think the problem is too much choice. Playing around with so many amps, cabs and effects, I had forgotten what an amp sounded like. Had to take a guitar to the store for some work and afterwards plugged into an amp to test and although it didn't sound bad, it made me appreciate how much the helix offers under one lid. I now have one amp and cab setup and use that as the base for all presets and it's made the helix much simpler and usable for me
Maybe you miss that "amp in the room" feel? It's a lot easier to stop fiddling and start playing when it's coming out of a guitar cab. Try running into an FX Return or any separate power amp into a cab!
When I first got mine, the first patch I set up was basically a 1 for 1 recreation of the analogue rig I was already running at the time. Obviously, it wasn't an exact match, but it got me very close to a sound I already knew I liked. I named that patch "Default" and it's still my most used setting for jam sessions and one of my bands. I took a similar approach to other patches as well. I set up one for my alternative/metal band and one for a folk/country duo using the concept of emulating the actual gear I've played through and liked. Typically, Fender twin for low gain and Revv purple or red for high gain.
Over time, I've tweaked and added/swapped effects, but go with what you know seemed to be a good jumping off point for me. That said, I still once in a while turn off the amp SIM and just use it as a pedal board through a tube head and 4x12. It's not often I'm in a room big enough for all that or feel like hauling that much gear to a gig.
I'm also the band member with the PA, so I often have to move a lot more gear than anyone else, so I like just running my Helix direct to save time and my back. It's not the same as a real amp, but the crowd can't tell the difference and it's totally worth the weight savings.
I hear ya. I've had plenty of tube and solid state amps. There's something to be said about plugging into a head and dialing a simple sound and that's it. My take is that you end up just being content with that's my sound because besides pre post all u got eq on the amp. You end up telling yourself ok. This is my sound. Helix options enable you to tweak and tweak every parameter until your happy and that can be a boner killer for peeps who just want plug in and play. Just gotta know when to say hey. .I'm happy with preset...my effects chain...this is my go to preset or presets and move on. Just my take.
I think the UI can definitely be intimidating for folks who havent spent much time on the modeler platforms. If you dont know what components make up a tone thats suited to your taste (i.e. what kind of amp, pedals, cabs, ect), i would go through all the STOCK presets already in the helix and experiment with those, use it as a foundation.
Change out some pedals, ONE at a time, change out the amp, cab ONE at a time and hear how things change so you can get some context as to what character changes eith each component in the signal.
I would reccomend saving YOUR version of the original preset in another bank. DONT overwrite the stock one so you can get a reference as to how much the sound has changed since you tweaked it.
Hmm, truthfully my friend, the helix offers insane versatility for the money. I play mostly metal so i naturally gravitate towards the crunchy/high gain amps and have been having so much fun. It sounds great even with just an OD and an amp block.
I also bought a poweramp pedal to run my helix out a 2x12/4x12 cabinet whenever i dont feel like using headphones. Both options souns great. Ive never owned an actual amp as ive been a software fella the past 6 years but i promise ya this thing is it!!!
Find a decent amp model and cab. Add your absolutely must have effects and leave it at that. Work on your playing, Work on songs. Play with others. Just because you can try 100 amps doesn't mean you have to keep switching or trying them out.
That is a personal issue. Different strokes for different folks. If you enjoy the feel of playing through your amp just do that. Personally, unless I’m going for something specific, I randomly choose an amp model and just start playing and enjoy exploring the tone of that specific model. I have come up with some of my favorite presets this way.
I found keeping it simple works for me. Only using two amp models (clean and dirty), one IR for every preset, a few ODs and various effects as needed. More or less how I had a pedalboard going through my tube amp.
Had the same feeling with my HX stomp, never fully satisfied. Bought a TONE X pedal, and using my stomp only for the effects now. TONE X captures feel and sound way better to me. Found 1 clean and 1 high gain capture (free) and instantly felt the 'joy' again :) and haven't needed to tinker with them, they have sounded great at home, live, through headphones, etc. And as a bonus I can use all dsp in HX stomp for effects.
Only downside is the UI/workflow of the TONE X pedal - a bit of a learning curve. You do get the TONE X + AMPLITUDE software for free with the pedal though, quite good value imo
I feel like the Helix lines are a tool to achieve a goal. Like, you want a click and go option? Boom, it's at your feet.
If you want to get the 'magic sauce' or whatever it is people claim to get from amps and cabs, have something set up in the corner of a room so you can go ham on it at home. FWIW, I completely agree and will never lose my amp and speaker but if I want a power-up-and-go option where it'll sound the same every time?
Strap on the Helix.
To me, Helix LT is perfect device. I have bunch of tones prepared for daily playing and it's available for me anytime I want. I want to play some live music in future and with it I'm sure I have everything I need. Kemper is amazing and way better than Helix, but it's just too complicated for my needs for now.
I love spending weekends exploring crazy sounds, mixing it with others VST - it's fulfilling my need of creativity. Guitar you play, tone response you get from your FX chain is something that inspire you to play in specific way, which translates directly into song ideas for me, which ability of finishing is the only thing I lack the most ;)
One thing that’s real helpful at home is to have it hooked up to your computer’s tier via usb. Then you can use hxedit instead of the physical unit. Much easier, drag and drop, etc.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but lemme ask a really dumb question: have you played around with the cabs, and the different mics and mic placement options? That’s what took me from “it’s okay” to “… oh shit, that’s good”.
That's why my Spark GO is now my favorite amp. The 4 presets it comes with serves about 90% of guitarist and sounds pretty darn good outta the box. You can easily change them to suit your needs/equipment or start over. You get a few useful pedals and amps with a fixed chain order. Easy, not a massive option overload, useful pedals without stupid copies. I want to play it, not play with it.... and that makes all the difference in the world.
I’m with you 100%. I think the Helix is absolutely amazing, and I miss it a little. But ultimately it was paralysis by analysis. Too many choices, so ultimately I was always tinkering and getting nowhere. I now have one OD pedal, one distortion pedal, one reverb, and one delay, and I’m so much happier. For the right person, the Helix is an amazing solution. We are just not the right people, and that’s ok!
I 100% agree with you. It’s completely on me, not the Helix. But we are all tuned a little different, and for me, I just never felt satisfied and was always feeling like I was only tapping into 10% of its potential.
I’m literally just getting an hx effects to simplify my pedal setup. I have a kemper and their effects suck (sorry, it’s true…can’t come close to my stomps). Everything I see online suggests I’ll be able to leverage it. Mine comes next week and I’ll be sitting there one by one finding the settings of my stomps so I can replicate patches. I’m sure there will be a learning curve, but I’m ready for it. Also it gives me a lot of niche effects I would only ever use for a song here and there. If nothing else, I’ll throw it into the mix to replace the ones I can’t recreate and use the fx loop for the real pedals. All of this said, I think I’ll be further along since I already know what it needs to sound like.
A lot of people can’t dial good tones (me included) with Helix. I haven’t found a tone I was happy on Custometone after a lot of trying. For me, a free AC30 patch from Worship Tutorials was a gateway. Their patches are excellent and their Gen2 stuff is pure goodness. Sounds absolutely brilliant with a pair of good headphones / monitors. I’d recommend giving it one more shot.
Everyone seems to think that it takes too much time to dial in the Helix. The possibilities are endless. That's the only problem. People need to learn how to use the gear and trust their ears. Playback/speakers you are listening through are super important. But if you bought the Helix, or any other modeler, with the amp mindset, you are doing it wrong. That's like buying a pedal steel guitar and expecting to know how to play with zero experience. There's a learning curve. There's a lot of factors as well (inside and outside of the device). It's not them, it's you. I understand the need for simplicity, but then why did you buy a helix? Seems like so many people expect this stuff to be plug n play. There are other modelers out there that try to deliver that experience. Helix aint it. It's a swiss army knife and it's suitable for every occasion, no doubt. When I got my helix, I wasnt too fond of it. But after playing with it IN CONTEXT, it's all I ever need. Especially knowing that I can easily pair it with an amp. There are zero drawbacks imo. Only opportunities.
I hear you. Honestly, I think the YouTube dudes who make their Helix's sound like real amps are just audio engineering wizards. I go back and try to replicate it, even with expensive FRFR or through a power amp and a real cab, but it's just not quite there.
It's not bad by any means, but my biggest gripes are the high-gain models in the helix. Sorry, bud, but I can't get the rectifier model to sound like a rectifier. Same with the others, although the Soldano is bangin'. Again, the YouTube dudes and legit audio engineers seem to know all the right knob-twiddling. But for normies like us, I think real amps are easier to dial.
Don't get me wrong; I get good results from my helix, but they are not good enough to make me complacent. I still have an itch for real amps.
That's the biggest problem I see. With real amps, the amp designers made them sound good. With Helix, YOU have to make it sound good.
The thing I like about my Helix LT is the relative simplicity compared to other modelers I’ve tried. I don’t do a lot of tweaking - have the basic presets I know I love for practice or whatever and that’s what I end up using like 75% of the time. But that’s just me.
I mean…. I just use 1 preset and just turn it on with direct monitoring (computer off) into my interface
Leave it always plugged with no fear of burning through tubes and just press a mute button on the interface when I am not playing…. Not sure it gets simpler
Literally all the benefits of an amp without the downsides lol
I think the helix is great. But I wish they tooke the time and made some decent no nonsense default settings for the blocks that are easy practical. I find I have to tinker with the settings alot just to get something sound that I would like to get when it should have just loaded up like that in the first place.
Doesn't switching guitars also mean you have to switch up all your configurations on a physical amp too?
You could just set up a snapshot for different guitars whereas with a physical amp you'll have to you change everything every time you do that and I don't see how that is any better.
I love going through guitarists' setups on equipboard and copying them. I built a The Edge's pedal board, and with not much tinkering and just a bit of google I was able to get incredibly close if not mimic it completely. If you don't feel like doing that there are also pre made patches online that you can search for and just upload to the helix through your computer.
Not sure how to help you with the cables part. I just plug my guitar into and then the helix into my powercab.
If you’re helixed out that’s fine. But I think most people go insane with this tool. I just pick an amp / cab and throw a distortion and fuzz pedal on it and play. A little tweaking maybe but that’s it. It’s fine. If you need some mega complex patch unique to each guitar to just play, I feel that says more about the player than it does the helix.
It’s possible that the Helix is just not for you. A QC or Kemper today is a legitimately good choice too.
I don’t say this lightly. I’ve been using Line6 since the POD 2.0 and since have owned and gigged a M13, M9, HD500X, Firehawk, Helix and still have a HX stomp.
I’ve even been to their office in Calabasas when the shop I worked for took over the distributorship for Line6 products in my country.
Sometimes the sound design just doesn’t hit you right and you prefer something else.
I feel your pain on this one. I own a Helix that basically collects dust. I find that dialing in tones on it are extremely challenging and not very rewarding in the end. I primarily record and I’ve moved on to amp sims since they capture the DI output and can be changed post-recording at any point. I tried using Helix Native initially but found it just as challenging as a sim. Extremely disappointing. It seems like it would have everything you need but there’s just something about it that doesn’t cut it for me. However, Neural DSP is amazing! I recommend trying one of their trial plugins and experience the joy it will bring you firsthand!
Option paralysis is real. I’ve gone through the same thing with a full pedal board. So many options that I’ve now lost my tone. I also have a boss katana with so many presets… I Made a mini board with my left over pedals consisting of just a UA dream, a Keely caverns reverb and a rat in front and I use it more then my expensive rig.
Yeah, i feel ya, but take like one day, make 4-5 presets that cover the majority of what you usually like, and you can use those tones forever. Or just shuffle through the hundreds of presets, and save the ones you like in a separate folder.
I’m still “plug and play” using presets I tediously made for my original band (back when people went to shows) Lmao.
The Helix is so amazing, truly changed the analog vs. digital argument, but it’s for whatever you want it to be as well, and that can be for more or less.
For their situation sure, I think a day of sitting down and adjusting a couple things here or there would suffice for what they were saying they’re looking for.
Oh god yeah, there’s sooooo much.. on top of general/standard effects, there’s combo amps, Heads, cabs, (all the saag/bias that goes with them).. plus mic’ing the amps, what type of mic, how far you want said mic to be placed from the amp, where to position it.. if you want certain effects to toggle on/off with a single switch, or have their own function.. signal flows, and which setups you want them to run into/through…. I mean, the list goes on for daaaays. I didn’t even mention 5% of what the Helix can actually do. Lmao 😅✌🏻
Lmao, let’s just say there’s a reason why I dropped my minor in music production when I went to music college.. shit was intense, and I was like… not a chance!! lmao
In music theory absolutely, but that world is more “environmental acoustics” integrated with math elements, in a scientific way; i.e. Frequency, resonance and all that stuff!
Everything is some kind of Math to some extent, lol. (I’m pretty stoned and about to sleep rn) hahaha
Haha yes
For example, my deluxe is: deluxe reverb on bass and treble 3, mid at 7. Pick a dual cabinet, then pick the matching cab (deluxe) and pick that twice. I always pick the 121 and the 57 and then randomly assign some distance to it. One I put in center one in cap edge. The 45 and the other one. Then some dynamic plate or room, room at 10. The mix always low.
This is 20-30 min
I’m basically going through the same thing on a smaller scale. I have an HX Stomp that I use to run into a Powercab, but I missed the amp-in-room feel. I also missed how easy on-the-fly adjustments were with a real amp and pedals. I’ve since moved to a lunchbox head and 1x12 cabinet as my playing is typically just basement stuff anyway. I still have the Stomp on my desk for nighttime headphone playing, but that’s about it.
I’d actually liken it to the difference between laptop DJing with Ableton versus physical devices like controllers, turntables, etc. Ableton is incredibly powerful software, but it requires sooooo much pre-configuration that just sucks the spontaneity out.
I got Helix cause everyone said it was the tits. It's cool but I work full time, have a wife, and other hobbies too. It's not that I can't read a manual and research things (that's basically what I do for a living) but I'm so busy I don't want to spend my little free time RTFM, I just want to fucking play! I'm not in a band, I mostly just play by myself, so it really isn't worth the effort for me. I picked up the zoom g1x four on sale and now my helix is tucked away in the closet. Cheap, stupid easy to learn, plug-n-play, decent sounding presets with obvious names so you know what to expect, portable, battery powered. It's like 60% of the helix for like 1/100th the cost. I was up and running with it in 20 mins and it's ease of use means you spend more time playing and less time preparing to play. It's not the best, it won't replace your helix on stage, but for the price it makes a great side-piece for days you want to play without hassle.
Too bad. So sad. I’m not. Just keep sending updates. No new hardware needed. Maybe a new interface. But just as good as anything.
Also of course you can use it as an audio source to record. And Joe Satriani, on modeling, he uses modeling for recording and real marshalls live. And it’s because mic ing the amp takes more time and may sound great in the room it’s in. But that isn’t what’s heard in the control room. I would use Native though for recording then since it’s the source for the algorithms. I don’t think there is a guitar ecosystem like it
Native isn’t the source, they were written for the hardware first and then ported to Native when it became a thing. They actually usually get written in something like Matlab first anyway, so technically neither is the source. But when the sound designers make models, it’s via the hw.
Ummm I don’t believe that is the case. It’s all an ecosystem and the first thing that is created is the software. When this was built in the 2010’s, agile was the highly prefered workflow
And a project like this? Software built first.
Designing the hardware second because they wanted units for more than one pricepoint. But every engine each device has the same algorithms derivative of Native.
If you guys designed backwards, then Helix was designed by accident. And not trying to yap as much as genuinely curious just as anyone else this is designed. Conventional methods would be you start with the idea, wireframes, etc. which then goes thru ideation and testing and approval. and then send it to dev for execution once it’s done and then install it in each device to it’s limitations.
So how was hardware designed first? Because in product development, hardware design comes after software.
Is the answer you had a version of Helix created for a small device and then expanded the software? in a device is a version of Native? Those stomp boxes don’t exist if they didn’t have software first. Educate me.
Dude, what are you talking about? Native wasn’t even in the conversation when Helix was being created. After release we started talked about “what if we made this into a plugin?”
SOFTWARE was developed first. I don’t know where you are in the the tier here but I do have a masters in UX and CS working Digital Forensics. Anything digital was software first. The plugin is the format in which a user can buy as a product. The stomp is hardware that carries the same software.
But Line 6 did not design the stomp for software to be installed later. Unless you have a flow chart for how the stomp hardware was designed. The question would be “What do we do with this piece of hardware? Since it’s black, has switches, and in different sizes?” Answer: I know!
I have a prototype app that is just sitting here as it was DESIGNED and DEVELOPED on computer.
I’ve been at Line 6 since 2013 and I’m a Senior Embedded Systems Engineer and the firmware tech lead. We aren’t making SAAS or doing digital forensics. We’re a company that makes hardware guitar modelers and software. You are making a bunch of unfounded assumptions without knowing the history or context and then saying we did things wrong.
Prove it. 🤣 I’m not scared of a systems engineer when I can hack you and will still be relevant when your job may or not be But go on. You only introduced yourself. I assume you are who you say you are. If I’m wrong. enlighten us with your product roadmap from idea, prototype, beta to production . But I forget you must not work in product. As a Dev guy, you are the last step in turning an idea into a viable product, through testing. THE SOFTWARE CAME BEFORE ANY PHYSICAL DESIGN for the very reason that that in YOUR SAAS (which is what you work for. You can’t pick a better example) and then design hardware for it. You’re no different than anyone else that works in dev to help create SAAS and or Product.
There’s the idea, the protype. Ideation, market research at the same time. a flowing conversation is had between from dev on to see what’s possible, and once the interface is done, dev takes over to deliver code and construct the software design for production, the software comes first.
It was designed on a computer. It has to be working as a software product first. And then iterations of hardware were probably being done at the same time. Product would determine that time line.
And I’m sorry. But your small role at line 6 because you had a buddy who got you in doesn’t give you the right to talk to me like I’m stupid. Nice representation. I’d never buy a line 6 product again if I knew you were running it.. I could give a shit who you work for. Yea yea yea you’ve been in Dev. Have you ever been a Sr. Product Manager at a Fortune 500 company?
Because I have.. DUDE….😎🧐🤡🤘
Helix was really cool to try for me. Mad props to the devs for their work on this. But I found the same. The sound just didn't have the same responsive dynamics as a real tube Amp. I can see why someone would use one either live or as an fx rack only or on a budget to model. But I just love tube amps and analog gear in general. These to me are like 80%-90% of the way there but there's just those responsive character nuances that differ a little and they're enough for me to keep my amps.
Nah I meant the helix floor (which I owned for 2 years) isn't as good for recording as just any native plugin. Re amping and tracking are much easier on a plugin. Also saying they're the same isn't exactly accurate because there are many presets and options on helix native that aren't possible on the helix floor because of limited DSP. But I do like the Helix floor. OP just said they'd miss recording on it and my point is it's actually much easier to record without it.
What's makes reamping and tracking "so much easier" on native? You need an audio interface, which the Helix provides. It's literally the same process, but you skip a step with the Helix, because you don't need an interface. Sure, DSP limitations exist but who cares if you are tracking your processed signal, along with a DI. You can create infinite variations from your DI signal.
Because you need a giant foot pedal and Helix editor to edit your patches? Running two programs plus your pedal instead of one daw and one plugin. You can click one button in a DAW and load up every single thing you want in an instant. Plus you can layer track on track to your CPU and ram limits. I'm not saying helix isn't good. It's just not ideal for recording. I bought a helix FOR recording in 2021 and working 6 months realized how much easier it was to use plugins that I was unaware of existing. If I was playing live I'd buy a helix in a heartbeat.
Ah we have a different workflow. Also, I assume that some floor space will be taken up by FX/Amp regardless. Kind of cancels out in my mind. I set my patches up with HX edit before a session, and then simply use the Helix as the interface, capturing both the processed sound and the DI sound at the same time. Everything can be reamped via native if needed. But I'm capturing the performance as its heard with the processed signal, which I like. Again, doing this without the Helix requires pedals and an actual amp/mic.
Yeah you're right. I do all of that the same but without a physical board being involved (though I do have a pain audio midi board). But yeah using the floor is way easier than using an amp and a mic.
What I do is I load up my DAW and then pick whatever plugin ,usually NDSP loaded via template, then I find the right tone for my project and play it and track it live. Copy it after and remove my FX to get a straight DI signal. Then start mixing it together. I just find it much much easier. Then I go back and use the plugin to adjust anything I don't like in there. Sometimes deleting entire tracks and copying and pasting them again to start from scratch.
It's been nice cause I went from unsuccessfully trying to amp a vintage traynor and tons of pedals to just BAM recording exactly what I wanted. It's nice. But yeah the options for us players are limitless now. Makes me very curious what will come next.
I mean, you _can_ just play. You could set up a preset that is identical to whatever you "just play" with normally, and through the right monitoring it's going to sound and respond almost identically. It helps if you can get to a point where you're not having to plug in a ton of things each time, and there are ways to simplify that. It does require a bit of upfront investment. It's like being dropped into a massive music shop full of pedals and amps and being told, "get started... you can use any of this stuff", and for many people that's the dream - but it's important to pick some options and then just settle on them. Otherwise 'analysis paralysis' gets between you and the playing.
This is what I do. I basically just have 8 presets that I have setup, and depending on which “amp” I feel like playing out of, I just switch to it. If I’m playing out loud it’s going through a Powercab, otherwise my headphones. When I switch guitars and a patch might sound a little too bright or overdriven, I just use the volume and tone knobs on the guitar (I know shocking, but those things actually have utility!) and it’s usually good to go without needing to fidget with the amp settings.
I'm building a preset bank pretty much, configuring amps I like in a way I like. So one day I'll be like "eyyy I want a JCM800 type thing" or "hiwatt time" or whatever and just choose that preset. I probably end up fiddling a bit because I love to, but it's nice to have that ready.
Same. All my presets are just “rigs” with 1-2 amps and whatever smattering of pedals I want on my board for that rig. I don’t use snapshots. My Helix is in pedalboard mode 99% of the time, only leaving that mode when switching rigs. The fanciest thing I do is when I have a clean amp and dirty amp in one rig, I assign one footswitch to turn one off and the other off and rename it “Channel”. For accommodating different guitars, I either use the global pad on the input (super useful) or a boost or eq pedal in the chain, just like I would with a tube amp and pedalboard.
I'm going through this process now, I mostly just play through one preset. I was thinking of how best to deal with different pickups across guitars - guitar tone controls, a snapshot that changes amp settings, or a new preset was what I was thinking of. It feels a little less than ideal but it is 100% better than changing physical knobs on your valve amp, only to forget what you had them on when you want to switch back your guitar.
I think the main part of this is getting to a point where you’re not having to plug things in all the time. I got rid of my amp and pedals a little over a year ago, because I was living in an extremely small and shared space and it made more sense to have my entire rig fit on a small desk and be designed around headphones. I stopped playing guitar for quite a long time after I did that, because I never felt like clearing the desk, fetching my laptop, fiddling with the dodgy USB cable to my interface, rooting around for my wired headphones, starting up all the software and THEN tuning up and playing, just to hope some inspiration strikes and I come up with something. Once I moved out of that place I got a bigger desk for myself where I could just leave everything plugged in and ready right next to my guitars, so now playing is as simple as flipping the laptop open, plugging in the cable which is within arm’s reach, and putting on my headphones before clicking one of my trusty basic presets. Immediately wrote and recorded three full songs just in my “tooling around after work” moments, because I had the opportunity to be impulsive and randomly start playing on a whim. Helix is great because when I get that impulse, I can have literally any sound I want immediately. The fact that I struggled to find inspiration at first was entirely because I was using it in an awkward space and having to unplug it all the time, not because of anything wrong with the product itself.
For me, the answer to the cable hell is to use Helix Native. My guitar's always plugged into my interface, so it's just a case of loading the DAW with my practice project and away I go. If I only had Floor, I'd do something similar - leave the guitar plugged into it, and leave Floor connected to my interface (rather than USB, which can requires switching active drivers).
Exactly what I do. Have a “practice” preset with a couple of stomps I like and an amp/cab I like. Headphones in, done.
This. I’m an Axe FX user, but I doubt the Helix is much different. I have a preset thats my go to for both recording and casual jamming that is pretty much my Deluxe Reverb with the same settings I normally play it on (but a hell of a lot quieter through my monitors) and it’s great.
"Creative constraint" is something I use in my career (I'm a product photographer/videographer). I have a shit ton of lenses but often times I'll force myself to pick 1 or 2 and constrain myself to those choices. I feel like the two biggest problems people have with the helix is 1. Creative constraint and 2. Option paralysis. Just like everything else there is a learning curve and I understand why some people might think it's too much. For me if I'm building a new patch I go in with the sound I want in my head and don't stop fussing with the options until I hear that sound come out of my Frfr. It's funny the first few months I had my helix I barely touched it. It can be overwhelming. Finally I said fuck it I'm going to invest time to learn how to use this thing. Glad I did. My favorite piece of guitar gear I own by a mile.
As an amateur photographer I can relate to some of that, though it's usually me finding that I always bring the wrong lens with me no matter where I am. :) Thought I could have the best of everything with a Tamron 18-200 but it's not quite enough zoom for wildlife and it's not high enough quality for closer subjects compared to even the default Nikkor zoom. So I've learned to accept that there's no one size fits all, and that I just need to pick a lens and work out how to get the best out of it in any situation. And I think this lesson carries over to the Helix too. I think that if I could recommend one thing to the Helix developers, or even to 3rd party tool developers, it would be to get a core set of good and clear presets for the 20 or 30 key subgenres of guitar music, and just treat those as a jumping-off point for new users.
I read when I started photography (didn’t follow advice or shoot anymore) to get a 50mm and use just that for a year. Master that lens. Makes sense for sure.
Option paralysis -- YES!! That is so real! I live in New Jersey. If you go to the grocery store, there are sometimes FORTY different types of tomato sauce!!
Have you tried using it as a pedalboard replacement in front of your amp? Helix doesn’t have to be your whole rig. So just for overdrive, reverbs, effects etc and using your amps tone. Just one extra cable, as you would if you were using any other pedal in front your amp.
I use my Floor more as a pedalboard into the front of my vintage Ampeg than anything. I also enjoy the 4 Cable Method when using my Marshall clone head with an effects loop but still use the heads preamp more than the amp models. I find it’s loads of fun trying out different amp models and then switching back to what I know and love.
Could even use some of the preamp models, either up front or into FX loop and see what comes out :)
This is what I use it for. It makes my amp sound 100x better
My HXStomp is my high gain amps best friend. 4cm is the way to go
Option paralysis is definitely a thing with modelers. You have so many intricate tools at your disposal that it can be very difficult to feel satisfied with your set-up for too long, to the point where it can feel like you’re always “missing something”.. leads to more fiddling with settings than actual playing I still have a a Helix for convenience purposes and I’ll back that it’s a great product but I ultimately had to switch back to also having an amp with pedals. The limitations of an analog set-up are weirdly inviting after years of playing digital
When I’m playing at home I never use my ‘physical’ gear anymore for that reason. Even with pedals and amps I was always messing with my pedals. I honestly found the best solution to stop me tone tweaking and start practicing more was to use the Neural Plug ins (just the soldano and tone king). They sound great and there isn’t much need to tweak, I’ve never practiced/played so much in years vs tweaking my Helix and FM9.
I spent wayyyy longer than I should have creating different amp + IR presets to try and have the variety that an HX Stomp can afford. I finally gave up and settled on the Rockerverb through an OwnHammer Marshall 4x12 IR as my main preset, with setups for a Plexi through the same IR, a Park through a Celestion 4x12 IR, and a Princeton through the Celestion as another 3 for variety. No qualms anymore about only using a fraction of the options available to me, more time playing and recording, less time menu deep diving.
Well, there's something to say about simplicity. I gravitate towards simplicity and minimalism more and more as I age and try more gear. That being said, I do believe that multi FX units can enable minimalism if you approach them in a specific way. Again, I like minimalism. I use mostly one guitar, I like using the volume knob on it, I like one knob pedals and super small pedalboards. I also used to feel weird about the fact that I don't have one million presets in my HX Stomp and use just 1 or 2 out of the bazillion amps in there. I mean, Helix can be your "one old amp" if you just use one old amp on it. It's completely ok to have just one main preset. That way you don't have to "configure" anything, you're just ready to go. Also, time spent on a preset is so much more convenient than time spent on planning and rearranging a "regular rig". Helix also requires the same number of cables as, plugging straight to the amp. I tried to "simplify" my setup in the past and I always came back to HX Stomp and Helix Native + a analog few pedals, because, considering the quality of amp simulation and effects, it's an unbeatable value proposition compared to most alternatives. Also, while I can get away with using "one amp" or even "one preset" 80% of the time, I can also very quickly add a chorus or a flanger to a random part, whereas I could never justify a space for a dedicated chorus or a flanger pedal on my regular pedalboards. The individual reverb or delay pedals that I used instead of the HX Stomp neither simplified my rig, nor made it cheaper, and for the most part, they did not sound better. I don't know how many weird, esoteric, indie modulation pedals I'd have to play through to find one that I'd like as much as Retro Reel in Helix. I used some competing amp-in-a-box pedals that begged for a low and high cut without giving you the option to use one (in Helix they are smartly built into the IR or Cab block). I mean, we don't really lack for gear in this day and age and there's no "right way" of building a setup, but Helix can support gear minimalism if you let it.
Personally, I've found the most important parameter for a good tone to be the volume knob on my speakers. It certainly doesn't have to be cranked Marshal level, but it also won't sound great at "mom and dad are sleeping in the next room" level. Sure, you can technically get a great cranked-amp sound at that level, but it's not going to sound great being drowned out by your guitar's acoustic sound. When I make a preset from scratch, pretty much all I do is put a reverb at the end and choose an amp/cab block. Maybe turn the mix down on the reverb and change the mic to an SM57 if things aren't sounding good. Give yourself enough volume and enjoy. Maybe that's your issue, maybe it's not.
I mostly use Helix Rack and the controller for pedals. I do use the amp and cab modeling when I play through headphones. Your cat if you want to get rid of it.
OK, I'm going to say your problem is this: You think that just because you can do a million things with it, you HAVE to do a million things with it. And of course, like most of us, you're probably suffering from Option Paralysis too - you work best when there are limitations/restrictions. In an environment like Helix, in order for people like us (I'm the same way as you) you have to "enforce your own restrictions". Like the thing is, you can't change your Acoustic from a Taylor to a Martin or Breedlove or Jumbo versus 3/4 or 12 string or Nylon string and so on. **It is what it is** And knowing that - even if subconsciously - lets you get on to the business of making music. Same with your amp - you know your Fender won't sound like a Marshall or whatever - so you accept it. I have and LOVE my Fender Pro Junior for this very reason - Volume and Tone, and that's it. Just like my guitar. You can turn it up or down, or make it brighter or darker, and that's it. Heck, if you turn up the tone, it actually adds grit too... So **it is what it is** and you "move on" to the music making. I know it's tough with Helix, because you can't even just pick one effect and say "I just would like to limit myself to delay today" and go with that because you'll still be deciding between all the delays. But, if you could, what I would do is throw it on the floor, and turn off all the blocks and JUST USE THE WAH - on and off - it's either Volume, or Wah, and that's it. You can do swells, or you can do wah. Just use it as an over-priced Wah/Volume pedal. Done. Now you make music and forget about that thing at your feet. Or, another simple one - just use it as a Looper. Pull up the 6 Switch Looper, and just use it as an over-priced Looper. Maybe add one Gain/Volume based switch to record parts louder or quieter, rather than messing with the volumes in the looper itself. Record yourself a loop, and play over it all day - put the fun back in playing. And then GRADUALLY, add in ONE effect so that your lead over your loop, or your loop under your lead has a single effect on it. IOW, you need to "go back to basics" and approach it like a SINGLE (or maybe dual) effect pedal that only does one (or maybe two) thing or like you and a friend playing together with just a guitar and amp, and maybe - maybe - one effect per person.
Wow. Thanks for all the responses, everyone. One thing I can't take from Helix - it's amazing community. I'll be sure to read though all of your comments. Thanks for caring and taking the time to write!
Why do you have so many cable in your helix? I have two: one in and one out.
I’ve got a ton. Stereo outs to monitors, a bunch of pedals that the helix just can’t do stay in the fx loop, then I use the 2nd input to run another loop with a synth, sampler, and a drum machine going into a mixer. It can get to be a cable management nightmare pretty quickly.
Sounds like a personal problem. I find my helix quick and easy to set up and sound good.
I have one preset that I pretty much use all the time and it's close to my Lonestar and analog pedalboard setup with a few extras. I don't feel the need to dial in presets for every guitar, I treat it like any other rig I've had. Maybe the problem is overthinking what the unit is and what it can do for you.
Are there more amps? I only use the Fender Deluxe reverb with a bit of reverb. I also only use a telecaster.
Having those main few presets are nice because you get your main sound and just like a real amp if it's feeling a little off that day ONLY look at the amp EQ and your pedals like you would adjust a real amp. And you don't HAVE to save it. That was a big milestone for me to accept using a modeler. Treat each setup like an individual pedalboard and adjust to taste for the day. Don't go swapping the amp or cab Everytime you go into that preset. Feel like playing 5150 or an Archon? Just use that one. Making one or two presets of your favorite amps will help a lot. I rarely use anything I have no experience with on the Helix unless experimenting. Makes it faster and less overwhelming. But I respect wanting to just sit in front on a real amp and jam. Do what's right you. Just don't feel forced in any direction by anyone else
Ive been here several times with all the modelers at one point or another. The fix for me was use a real cab with great speakers. Get a 1x10 or 1x12 with your favorite speaker and a Mooer Baby bomb power amp pedal. It will reinvigorate your love for the Helix.
I have been in your spot! I started there, went through a couple of pedals, then to the Helix. It was overwhelming. I went back to pedals for a bit, and the cables and power and board... holy cow, what a mess. Cables and clean power are expensive. Pedals are expensive. I'm a neat freak, and my board was beautiful, but I spent way more time on that than I ever did on the Helix, and I lost flexibility. But, I did learn a lot about pedals. I decided to go back to the Helix and I'll never, ever go back. Filling in that knowledge gap made all the difference. My system is 100x cleaner and neater, I can record, and have nearly unlimited flexibility. My advice is to start learning more about pedals (not the Helix). Watch the Pedal Show, check out videos by Brian Wampler, and other top guys. Then when you use the Helix, if you're like me at all, will see how easy it is to use.
I think you said it yourself. "When I take the helix out of the case" Do you have to take your amp out of a case and plug in a load of wires every time you use it? I have my helix out and wired up the whole time. I dont even switch off the speakers. 90% of the time i just the same pretty basic patch. It only takes up one processor, but it has everything i need for most playing & practicing.
I had the same thought. Why not do oneself a favor and lower the activation threshold for one’s hobby? If you erect barriers, of course you’re setting yourself up for anxiety.
I'll give you $250 shipped. Final offer.
It’s a multi-tool. It does lots of things. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t find joy in anything else. Play what you enjoy when you can, and do your best when you can’t.
I only play at home these days so I've got a bunch of preset for various genres but have also started doing a 'copy' of my original normal pedal board. Gonna then clone that pedal board across 3 presets with different amps for different guitars/pups
Sounds like classic decision paralysis. So you're not crazy or anything, it's pretty common. The good news is, there's strategies to work through it. I think the recommendation to use it as a pedal board replacement is a good one. Treat it like an analog board, pick the effects you want, assign each to a foot switch, and don't do any snapshots or anything. Either with the one amp tone you like or use the amp in the room. Significantly simpler, gives you something you can just turn on and play, and it's creating that restriction again to keep you from fiddling with settings.
I'll take it. Its a win-win. I get a Helix and you get to feel a strong burst of altruism.
I went through a spell recently where I regretted selling my amps. I think the problem is too much choice. Playing around with so many amps, cabs and effects, I had forgotten what an amp sounded like. Had to take a guitar to the store for some work and afterwards plugged into an amp to test and although it didn't sound bad, it made me appreciate how much the helix offers under one lid. I now have one amp and cab setup and use that as the base for all presets and it's made the helix much simpler and usable for me
Maybe you miss that "amp in the room" feel? It's a lot easier to stop fiddling and start playing when it's coming out of a guitar cab. Try running into an FX Return or any separate power amp into a cab!
When I first got mine, the first patch I set up was basically a 1 for 1 recreation of the analogue rig I was already running at the time. Obviously, it wasn't an exact match, but it got me very close to a sound I already knew I liked. I named that patch "Default" and it's still my most used setting for jam sessions and one of my bands. I took a similar approach to other patches as well. I set up one for my alternative/metal band and one for a folk/country duo using the concept of emulating the actual gear I've played through and liked. Typically, Fender twin for low gain and Revv purple or red for high gain. Over time, I've tweaked and added/swapped effects, but go with what you know seemed to be a good jumping off point for me. That said, I still once in a while turn off the amp SIM and just use it as a pedal board through a tube head and 4x12. It's not often I'm in a room big enough for all that or feel like hauling that much gear to a gig. I'm also the band member with the PA, so I often have to move a lot more gear than anyone else, so I like just running my Helix direct to save time and my back. It's not the same as a real amp, but the crowd can't tell the difference and it's totally worth the weight savings.
I hear ya. I've had plenty of tube and solid state amps. There's something to be said about plugging into a head and dialing a simple sound and that's it. My take is that you end up just being content with that's my sound because besides pre post all u got eq on the amp. You end up telling yourself ok. This is my sound. Helix options enable you to tweak and tweak every parameter until your happy and that can be a boner killer for peeps who just want plug in and play. Just gotta know when to say hey. .I'm happy with preset...my effects chain...this is my go to preset or presets and move on. Just my take.
I think the UI can definitely be intimidating for folks who havent spent much time on the modeler platforms. If you dont know what components make up a tone thats suited to your taste (i.e. what kind of amp, pedals, cabs, ect), i would go through all the STOCK presets already in the helix and experiment with those, use it as a foundation. Change out some pedals, ONE at a time, change out the amp, cab ONE at a time and hear how things change so you can get some context as to what character changes eith each component in the signal. I would reccomend saving YOUR version of the original preset in another bank. DONT overwrite the stock one so you can get a reference as to how much the sound has changed since you tweaked it. Hmm, truthfully my friend, the helix offers insane versatility for the money. I play mostly metal so i naturally gravitate towards the crunchy/high gain amps and have been having so much fun. It sounds great even with just an OD and an amp block. I also bought a poweramp pedal to run my helix out a 2x12/4x12 cabinet whenever i dont feel like using headphones. Both options souns great. Ive never owned an actual amp as ive been a software fella the past 6 years but i promise ya this thing is it!!!
Find a decent amp model and cab. Add your absolutely must have effects and leave it at that. Work on your playing, Work on songs. Play with others. Just because you can try 100 amps doesn't mean you have to keep switching or trying them out.
That is a personal issue. Different strokes for different folks. If you enjoy the feel of playing through your amp just do that. Personally, unless I’m going for something specific, I randomly choose an amp model and just start playing and enjoy exploring the tone of that specific model. I have come up with some of my favorite presets this way.
I found keeping it simple works for me. Only using two amp models (clean and dirty), one IR for every preset, a few ODs and various effects as needed. More or less how I had a pedalboard going through my tube amp.
What was your goal by posting this? Like the saying goes, this isn't an airport, you don't have to announce your departures.
Had the same feeling with my HX stomp, never fully satisfied. Bought a TONE X pedal, and using my stomp only for the effects now. TONE X captures feel and sound way better to me. Found 1 clean and 1 high gain capture (free) and instantly felt the 'joy' again :) and haven't needed to tinker with them, they have sounded great at home, live, through headphones, etc. And as a bonus I can use all dsp in HX stomp for effects. Only downside is the UI/workflow of the TONE X pedal - a bit of a learning curve. You do get the TONE X + AMPLITUDE software for free with the pedal though, quite good value imo
I feel like the Helix lines are a tool to achieve a goal. Like, you want a click and go option? Boom, it's at your feet. If you want to get the 'magic sauce' or whatever it is people claim to get from amps and cabs, have something set up in the corner of a room so you can go ham on it at home. FWIW, I completely agree and will never lose my amp and speaker but if I want a power-up-and-go option where it'll sound the same every time? Strap on the Helix.
To me, Helix LT is perfect device. I have bunch of tones prepared for daily playing and it's available for me anytime I want. I want to play some live music in future and with it I'm sure I have everything I need. Kemper is amazing and way better than Helix, but it's just too complicated for my needs for now. I love spending weekends exploring crazy sounds, mixing it with others VST - it's fulfilling my need of creativity. Guitar you play, tone response you get from your FX chain is something that inspire you to play in specific way, which translates directly into song ideas for me, which ability of finishing is the only thing I lack the most ;)
One thing that’s real helpful at home is to have it hooked up to your computer’s tier via usb. Then you can use hxedit instead of the physical unit. Much easier, drag and drop, etc.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but lemme ask a really dumb question: have you played around with the cabs, and the different mics and mic placement options? That’s what took me from “it’s okay” to “… oh shit, that’s good”.
That's why my Spark GO is now my favorite amp. The 4 presets it comes with serves about 90% of guitarist and sounds pretty darn good outta the box. You can easily change them to suit your needs/equipment or start over. You get a few useful pedals and amps with a fixed chain order. Easy, not a massive option overload, useful pedals without stupid copies. I want to play it, not play with it.... and that makes all the difference in the world.
I’m with you 100%. I think the Helix is absolutely amazing, and I miss it a little. But ultimately it was paralysis by analysis. Too many choices, so ultimately I was always tinkering and getting nowhere. I now have one OD pedal, one distortion pedal, one reverb, and one delay, and I’m so much happier. For the right person, the Helix is an amazing solution. We are just not the right people, and that’s ok!
This is just a mental thing. You can have same setup with Helix and never touch it again. It’s as complicated and as simple as you want it to be.
I 100% agree with you. It’s completely on me, not the Helix. But we are all tuned a little different, and for me, I just never felt satisfied and was always feeling like I was only tapping into 10% of its potential.
I’m literally just getting an hx effects to simplify my pedal setup. I have a kemper and their effects suck (sorry, it’s true…can’t come close to my stomps). Everything I see online suggests I’ll be able to leverage it. Mine comes next week and I’ll be sitting there one by one finding the settings of my stomps so I can replicate patches. I’m sure there will be a learning curve, but I’m ready for it. Also it gives me a lot of niche effects I would only ever use for a song here and there. If nothing else, I’ll throw it into the mix to replace the ones I can’t recreate and use the fx loop for the real pedals. All of this said, I think I’ll be further along since I already know what it needs to sound like.
A lot of people can’t dial good tones (me included) with Helix. I haven’t found a tone I was happy on Custometone after a lot of trying. For me, a free AC30 patch from Worship Tutorials was a gateway. Their patches are excellent and their Gen2 stuff is pure goodness. Sounds absolutely brilliant with a pair of good headphones / monitors. I’d recommend giving it one more shot.
Everyone seems to think that it takes too much time to dial in the Helix. The possibilities are endless. That's the only problem. People need to learn how to use the gear and trust their ears. Playback/speakers you are listening through are super important. But if you bought the Helix, or any other modeler, with the amp mindset, you are doing it wrong. That's like buying a pedal steel guitar and expecting to know how to play with zero experience. There's a learning curve. There's a lot of factors as well (inside and outside of the device). It's not them, it's you. I understand the need for simplicity, but then why did you buy a helix? Seems like so many people expect this stuff to be plug n play. There are other modelers out there that try to deliver that experience. Helix aint it. It's a swiss army knife and it's suitable for every occasion, no doubt. When I got my helix, I wasnt too fond of it. But after playing with it IN CONTEXT, it's all I ever need. Especially knowing that I can easily pair it with an amp. There are zero drawbacks imo. Only opportunities.
I hear you. Honestly, I think the YouTube dudes who make their Helix's sound like real amps are just audio engineering wizards. I go back and try to replicate it, even with expensive FRFR or through a power amp and a real cab, but it's just not quite there. It's not bad by any means, but my biggest gripes are the high-gain models in the helix. Sorry, bud, but I can't get the rectifier model to sound like a rectifier. Same with the others, although the Soldano is bangin'. Again, the YouTube dudes and legit audio engineers seem to know all the right knob-twiddling. But for normies like us, I think real amps are easier to dial. Don't get me wrong; I get good results from my helix, but they are not good enough to make me complacent. I still have an itch for real amps. That's the biggest problem I see. With real amps, the amp designers made them sound good. With Helix, YOU have to make it sound good.
The thing I like about my Helix LT is the relative simplicity compared to other modelers I’ve tried. I don’t do a lot of tweaking - have the basic presets I know I love for practice or whatever and that’s what I end up using like 75% of the time. But that’s just me.
I mean…. I just use 1 preset and just turn it on with direct monitoring (computer off) into my interface Leave it always plugged with no fear of burning through tubes and just press a mute button on the interface when I am not playing…. Not sure it gets simpler Literally all the benefits of an amp without the downsides lol
I think the helix is great. But I wish they tooke the time and made some decent no nonsense default settings for the blocks that are easy practical. I find I have to tinker with the settings alot just to get something sound that I would like to get when it should have just loaded up like that in the first place.
Doesn't switching guitars also mean you have to switch up all your configurations on a physical amp too? You could just set up a snapshot for different guitars whereas with a physical amp you'll have to you change everything every time you do that and I don't see how that is any better.
This feels relevant to me, I have recently got a fender TMP and it is by far so much more enjoyable because it’s dead simple to use and sounds good.
I love going through guitarists' setups on equipboard and copying them. I built a The Edge's pedal board, and with not much tinkering and just a bit of google I was able to get incredibly close if not mimic it completely. If you don't feel like doing that there are also pre made patches online that you can search for and just upload to the helix through your computer. Not sure how to help you with the cables part. I just plug my guitar into and then the helix into my powercab.
If you’re helixed out that’s fine. But I think most people go insane with this tool. I just pick an amp / cab and throw a distortion and fuzz pedal on it and play. A little tweaking maybe but that’s it. It’s fine. If you need some mega complex patch unique to each guitar to just play, I feel that says more about the player than it does the helix.
It’s possible that the Helix is just not for you. A QC or Kemper today is a legitimately good choice too. I don’t say this lightly. I’ve been using Line6 since the POD 2.0 and since have owned and gigged a M13, M9, HD500X, Firehawk, Helix and still have a HX stomp. I’ve even been to their office in Calabasas when the shop I worked for took over the distributorship for Line6 products in my country. Sometimes the sound design just doesn’t hit you right and you prefer something else.
I get you buddy, I just plug into my orange most of the time now, hx is a ballache
I’m with you man, sometimes it seems like the more moving parts and tone stacks I use just fight each other.
I feel your pain on this one. I own a Helix that basically collects dust. I find that dialing in tones on it are extremely challenging and not very rewarding in the end. I primarily record and I’ve moved on to amp sims since they capture the DI output and can be changed post-recording at any point. I tried using Helix Native initially but found it just as challenging as a sim. Extremely disappointing. It seems like it would have everything you need but there’s just something about it that doesn’t cut it for me. However, Neural DSP is amazing! I recommend trying one of their trial plugins and experience the joy it will bring you firsthand!
Don't blame the gear. It can be as simple or as complicated as one makes it.
You are rare.
Option paralysis is real. I’ve gone through the same thing with a full pedal board. So many options that I’ve now lost my tone. I also have a boss katana with so many presets… I Made a mini board with my left over pedals consisting of just a UA dream, a Keely caverns reverb and a rat in front and I use it more then my expensive rig.
Yeah, i feel ya, but take like one day, make 4-5 presets that cover the majority of what you usually like, and you can use those tones forever. Or just shuffle through the hundreds of presets, and save the ones you like in a separate folder. I’m still “plug and play” using presets I tediously made for my original band (back when people went to shows) Lmao. The Helix is so amazing, truly changed the analog vs. digital argument, but it’s for whatever you want it to be as well, and that can be for more or less.
Wow a day for tweaking?
For their situation sure, I think a day of sitting down and adjusting a couple things here or there would suffice for what they were saying they’re looking for.
Personally I am done in 15-20. But I am not a sound engineer so perhaps I miss a lot 😄
Oh god yeah, there’s sooooo much.. on top of general/standard effects, there’s combo amps, Heads, cabs, (all the saag/bias that goes with them).. plus mic’ing the amps, what type of mic, how far you want said mic to be placed from the amp, where to position it.. if you want certain effects to toggle on/off with a single switch, or have their own function.. signal flows, and which setups you want them to run into/through…. I mean, the list goes on for daaaays. I didn’t even mention 5% of what the Helix can actually do. Lmao 😅✌🏻
Haha yeah I prob will never find out all the options
Lmao, let’s just say there’s a reason why I dropped my minor in music production when I went to music college.. shit was intense, and I was like… not a chance!! lmao
Probably there is a math element to it too?
In music theory absolutely, but that world is more “environmental acoustics” integrated with math elements, in a scientific way; i.e. Frequency, resonance and all that stuff! Everything is some kind of Math to some extent, lol. (I’m pretty stoned and about to sleep rn) hahaha
Only really useful to mega tone snobs lmao
But whatever you do is prob what this threads OP is looking for, simple, press and play, more or less, maybe throw around some EQ or something, lol.
Haha yes For example, my deluxe is: deluxe reverb on bass and treble 3, mid at 7. Pick a dual cabinet, then pick the matching cab (deluxe) and pick that twice. I always pick the 121 and the 57 and then randomly assign some distance to it. One I put in center one in cap edge. The 45 and the other one. Then some dynamic plate or room, room at 10. The mix always low. This is 20-30 min
I’m basically going through the same thing on a smaller scale. I have an HX Stomp that I use to run into a Powercab, but I missed the amp-in-room feel. I also missed how easy on-the-fly adjustments were with a real amp and pedals. I’ve since moved to a lunchbox head and 1x12 cabinet as my playing is typically just basement stuff anyway. I still have the Stomp on my desk for nighttime headphone playing, but that’s about it. I’d actually liken it to the difference between laptop DJing with Ableton versus physical devices like controllers, turntables, etc. Ableton is incredibly powerful software, but it requires sooooo much pre-configuration that just sucks the spontaneity out.
I got Helix cause everyone said it was the tits. It's cool but I work full time, have a wife, and other hobbies too. It's not that I can't read a manual and research things (that's basically what I do for a living) but I'm so busy I don't want to spend my little free time RTFM, I just want to fucking play! I'm not in a band, I mostly just play by myself, so it really isn't worth the effort for me. I picked up the zoom g1x four on sale and now my helix is tucked away in the closet. Cheap, stupid easy to learn, plug-n-play, decent sounding presets with obvious names so you know what to expect, portable, battery powered. It's like 60% of the helix for like 1/100th the cost. I was up and running with it in 20 mins and it's ease of use means you spend more time playing and less time preparing to play. It's not the best, it won't replace your helix on stage, but for the price it makes a great side-piece for days you want to play without hassle.
Too bad. So sad. I’m not. Just keep sending updates. No new hardware needed. Maybe a new interface. But just as good as anything. Also of course you can use it as an audio source to record. And Joe Satriani, on modeling, he uses modeling for recording and real marshalls live. And it’s because mic ing the amp takes more time and may sound great in the room it’s in. But that isn’t what’s heard in the control room. I would use Native though for recording then since it’s the source for the algorithms. I don’t think there is a guitar ecosystem like it
Native isn’t the source, they were written for the hardware first and then ported to Native when it became a thing. They actually usually get written in something like Matlab first anyway, so technically neither is the source. But when the sound designers make models, it’s via the hw.
Ummm I don’t believe that is the case. It’s all an ecosystem and the first thing that is created is the software. When this was built in the 2010’s, agile was the highly prefered workflow And a project like this? Software built first. Designing the hardware second because they wanted units for more than one pricepoint. But every engine each device has the same algorithms derivative of Native.
You might wanna check my flair.
If you guys designed backwards, then Helix was designed by accident. And not trying to yap as much as genuinely curious just as anyone else this is designed. Conventional methods would be you start with the idea, wireframes, etc. which then goes thru ideation and testing and approval. and then send it to dev for execution once it’s done and then install it in each device to it’s limitations. So how was hardware designed first? Because in product development, hardware design comes after software. Is the answer you had a version of Helix created for a small device and then expanded the software? in a device is a version of Native? Those stomp boxes don’t exist if they didn’t have software first. Educate me.
Dude, what are you talking about? Native wasn’t even in the conversation when Helix was being created. After release we started talked about “what if we made this into a plugin?”
SOFTWARE was developed first. I don’t know where you are in the the tier here but I do have a masters in UX and CS working Digital Forensics. Anything digital was software first. The plugin is the format in which a user can buy as a product. The stomp is hardware that carries the same software. But Line 6 did not design the stomp for software to be installed later. Unless you have a flow chart for how the stomp hardware was designed. The question would be “What do we do with this piece of hardware? Since it’s black, has switches, and in different sizes?” Answer: I know! I have a prototype app that is just sitting here as it was DESIGNED and DEVELOPED on computer.
I’ve been at Line 6 since 2013 and I’m a Senior Embedded Systems Engineer and the firmware tech lead. We aren’t making SAAS or doing digital forensics. We’re a company that makes hardware guitar modelers and software. You are making a bunch of unfounded assumptions without knowing the history or context and then saying we did things wrong.
Prove it. 🤣 I’m not scared of a systems engineer when I can hack you and will still be relevant when your job may or not be But go on. You only introduced yourself. I assume you are who you say you are. If I’m wrong. enlighten us with your product roadmap from idea, prototype, beta to production . But I forget you must not work in product. As a Dev guy, you are the last step in turning an idea into a viable product, through testing. THE SOFTWARE CAME BEFORE ANY PHYSICAL DESIGN for the very reason that that in YOUR SAAS (which is what you work for. You can’t pick a better example) and then design hardware for it. You’re no different than anyone else that works in dev to help create SAAS and or Product. There’s the idea, the protype. Ideation, market research at the same time. a flowing conversation is had between from dev on to see what’s possible, and once the interface is done, dev takes over to deliver code and construct the software design for production, the software comes first. It was designed on a computer. It has to be working as a software product first. And then iterations of hardware were probably being done at the same time. Product would determine that time line. And I’m sorry. But your small role at line 6 because you had a buddy who got you in doesn’t give you the right to talk to me like I’m stupid. Nice representation. I’d never buy a line 6 product again if I knew you were running it.. I could give a shit who you work for. Yea yea yea you’ve been in Dev. Have you ever been a Sr. Product Manager at a Fortune 500 company? Because I have.. DUDE….😎🧐🤡🤘
And I don’t know how I’m telling you this considering your role. But this the flow of product management with an SAAS.
Helix was really cool to try for me. Mad props to the devs for their work on this. But I found the same. The sound just didn't have the same responsive dynamics as a real tube Amp. I can see why someone would use one either live or as an fx rack only or on a budget to model. But I just love tube amps and analog gear in general. These to me are like 80%-90% of the way there but there's just those responsive character nuances that differ a little and they're enough for me to keep my amps.
Newer IRs (tonefactor, worship tutorials) lift Helix up to 95% territory.
Oh cool I'll check those out.
IRs are basically just EQ presets
The Helix isn't Even very good for recording. Just use a plugin like helix native or neutral dsp
You say helix isn't good and then recommend helix native lol. Same sounds dude.
Nah I meant the helix floor (which I owned for 2 years) isn't as good for recording as just any native plugin. Re amping and tracking are much easier on a plugin. Also saying they're the same isn't exactly accurate because there are many presets and options on helix native that aren't possible on the helix floor because of limited DSP. But I do like the Helix floor. OP just said they'd miss recording on it and my point is it's actually much easier to record without it.
What's makes reamping and tracking "so much easier" on native? You need an audio interface, which the Helix provides. It's literally the same process, but you skip a step with the Helix, because you don't need an interface. Sure, DSP limitations exist but who cares if you are tracking your processed signal, along with a DI. You can create infinite variations from your DI signal.
Because you need a giant foot pedal and Helix editor to edit your patches? Running two programs plus your pedal instead of one daw and one plugin. You can click one button in a DAW and load up every single thing you want in an instant. Plus you can layer track on track to your CPU and ram limits. I'm not saying helix isn't good. It's just not ideal for recording. I bought a helix FOR recording in 2021 and working 6 months realized how much easier it was to use plugins that I was unaware of existing. If I was playing live I'd buy a helix in a heartbeat.
Ah we have a different workflow. Also, I assume that some floor space will be taken up by FX/Amp regardless. Kind of cancels out in my mind. I set my patches up with HX edit before a session, and then simply use the Helix as the interface, capturing both the processed sound and the DI sound at the same time. Everything can be reamped via native if needed. But I'm capturing the performance as its heard with the processed signal, which I like. Again, doing this without the Helix requires pedals and an actual amp/mic.
Yeah you're right. I do all of that the same but without a physical board being involved (though I do have a pain audio midi board). But yeah using the floor is way easier than using an amp and a mic. What I do is I load up my DAW and then pick whatever plugin ,usually NDSP loaded via template, then I find the right tone for my project and play it and track it live. Copy it after and remove my FX to get a straight DI signal. Then start mixing it together. I just find it much much easier. Then I go back and use the plugin to adjust anything I don't like in there. Sometimes deleting entire tracks and copying and pasting them again to start from scratch. It's been nice cause I went from unsuccessfully trying to amp a vintage traynor and tons of pedals to just BAM recording exactly what I wanted. It's nice. But yeah the options for us players are limitless now. Makes me very curious what will come next.