# NGD! I'm going digital!



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Just picked up a Line 6 Helix! I've been looking long and hard at the Fractal stuff, but this seemed better suited to what I need and a little cheaper (also, thank Yorkville Month!). 

Picked it up yesterday, but had rehearsal all night and I have a party tonight, so I still haven't opened it! But I'll be sure to post my thoughts on it once I've given it a workout. 











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## Cups (Jan 5, 2010)

It looks like a super sweet unit. So flexible with the ins and outs.
Congratulations


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Cups said:


> It looks like a super sweet unit. So flexible with the ins and outs.
> Congratulations


Yeah, the 4 loops were part of what made me choose this over the AX8. 

I currently run a board with two audio paths. One guitar sound and one that's got my B9 and Mel9 for organ/horn/strings. I run them totally independent of one another and can combine them when I want with my Musicomlab EFX mkIII. The Helix has similar options available with the loops, but it also allows for two totally independent audio streams in the box, so I should get just as much, if not more flexibility now. That was something I just wouldn't be able to do with the AX8. 

I STILL haven't had a chance to plug it in, but I'm hoping to have a chance tonight. Regardless, I've set-aside all day tomorrow to tinker with it!


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Curious to get your thoughts!


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## Mike316 (Apr 23, 2014)

How much are they? I've heard good things about it. 


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

Mike316 said:


> How much are they? I've heard good things about it.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Well, I could sell all my pedals & get one (about $1600 I think)
I'll wait until I hear that they are indeed, "the Sh!t". 
(Oh, the above saying is a positive! Good thing, don't ban me please.)


Sent from my other brain.


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## tomsy49 (Apr 2, 2015)

I owned one for a while are really liked it. 3rd party IR's really bring out the best in the amp models. I went with 3 Sigma Audio ones because they are a little more basic but some people may prefer the speaker options per cab that Ownhammer IR's give you. Ultimately, I sold it (go figure) because that was a lit of money for me to have tied up in gear at a time and i didn't feel comfortable having it being only an at home player. For a gigging guitarist i feel like its a no brainer!


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

The Helix board is $1,999.00 at your friendly L&M. It's quite a bit of cash, but if things work out and I decide to keep it, I can liquidate my board and potentially my amp and actually come out ahead on cash (by quite a bit).

I spent all day with it yesterday (literally, ALL day, like 12 hours), and I'm very impressed. The amps all sound incredible. The effects also seem very well-modeled. I was going through my cover band's setlist and creating patches for each song and I found the UI to be very well-thought-out. Whether you're accessing the device from the LCD screen and knobs/buttons on it, or via USB to your PC, it's a total breeze to create patches. I also love that when it's plugged into the PC, any changes you make on one end or the other instantly show up on both the device and PC.

It took a lot of trial and error to figure-out how to best utilize the available DSP (didn't read the manual), so for some of my more complex patches, I had to get creative. I also didn't realize you can assign multiple functions to a single footswitch, so once I figured that out, I was able to really start making some progress on multi-amp setups.

The only things that I didn't think sounded good or responded well were amps and effects that I don't generally like in the first place, so I guess they've done an accurate job of modeling those as well. Things like a Vox AC15 or a Fuzz Face or Rat all sounded exactly how I remember them (not good), but the amps that I know and love (Bassman, JTM45, 1974, AC30, etc.) sound incredible.

I have to say that 1 day into this experiment, it seems VERY likely that I'm going to be having a fire sale soon.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

tomsy49 said:


> I owned one for a while are really liked it. 3rd party IR's really bring out the best in the amp models. I went with 3 Sigma Audio ones because they are a little more basic but some people may prefer the speaker options per cab that Ownhammer IR's give you. Ultimately, I sold it (go figure) because that was a lit of money for me to have tied up in gear at a time and i didn't feel comfortable having it being only an at home player. For a gigging guitarist i feel like its a no brainer!


I've heard that as well (pretty much unanimously, actually). I don't want to get into IRs just yet, so I'm working on building a patch library first and then once all that's done, I'm planning on getting one of the Ownhammer IRs to compare to a similar cab I'm using to see whether the difference is enough for me to get more. I'm pretty much only using the Marshall 4x12 Greenback cab, the Vox 2x12 Alnico Blue cab and the Fender Twin and Bassman cabs. I don't mind springing for upgraded models of these cabs, but I want to get used to using the thing on its own before I go tinkering further.


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## tomsy49 (Apr 2, 2015)

hollowbody said:


> I've heard that as well (pretty much unanimously, actually). I don't want to get into IRs just yet, so I'm working on building a patch library first and then once all that's done, I'm planning on getting one of the Ownhammer IRs to compare to a similar cab I'm using to see whether the difference is enough for me to get more. I'm pretty much only using the Marshall 4x12 Greenback cab, the Vox 2x12 Alnico Blue cab and the Fender Twin and Bassman cabs. I don't mind springing for upgraded models of these cabs, but I want to get used to using the thing on its own before I go tinkering further.


That's totally fair! I suggest that you upgrade the firmware if you haven't already. Snapshots (or Scenes) allow you to use multiple variations per preset and that way you wont need to worry about lag between patches. If you're using it more like an amp and pedalboard then its not really a big deal and snapshots won't help you as much as if your switching patches during songs. 

On the IR front i'd be more than happy to send you the ones I have to test out if you want. That way you don't have to spend money off the top and can see what it sounds like with an IR vs Stock Cab. I am pretty sure i even have all the cabs you have listed as well! The marshall may have V-30's but i'd have to double check.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

tomsy49 said:


> That's totally fair! I suggest that you upgrade the firmware if you haven't already. Snapshots (or Scenes) allow you to use multiple variations per preset and that way you wont need to worry about lag between patches. If you're using it more like an amp and pedalboard then its not really a big deal and snapshots won't help you as much as if your switching patches during songs.
> 
> On the IR front i'd be more than happy to send you the ones I have to test out if you want. That way you don't have to spend money off the top and can see what it sounds like with an IR vs Stock Cab. I am pretty sure i even have all the cabs you have listed as well! The marshall may have V-30's but i'd have to double check.


Yeah, it came with 2.0 installed, so I'm pretty much using Snapshots exclusively, but thanks! 

I'd love to check out those IRs! I'll send you a PM.


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## SouthamptonPdls (Nov 4, 2014)

How durable does it seem? Also, what sort or warranty do they come with?

I build pedals as a side gig, but have nothing against going digital. My singer asked why I don't just get one of these instead of a PT pro and I had two answers:

1) I build pedals. I LOVE pedals. They are absolutely my hobby and I like the collection; and
2) Worst case scenario 1 of my pedals or (actually worst) my amp stops working. I would still have a ton of working gear though. I would be worried to rely on ONE thing to be everything.

That being said, if they're solid I can totally see the appeal. I'm personally sick of lugging my gear around all the time. 

Congrats OP!


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## pat6969 (Feb 4, 2013)

I would suggest looking into the Ownhammer 2x12 MAR-66 pack. It comes with 66 different speakers and a dozen mics, it's a huge upgrade to the stock offerings. This one pack will pretty much get you anything you desire. Blues, Silvers, GB's, V30's, Lynchbacks, BB's, CB's, Scumbacks, EV's, it's just a killer pack.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

SouthamptonPdls said:


> How durable does it seem? Also, what sort or warranty do they come with?
> 
> I build pedals as a side gig, but have nothing against going digital. My singer asked why I don't just get one of these instead of a PT pro and I had two answers:
> 
> ...


It's built like a tank. It's solid metal (aluminum?) all the way around. It's heavy and just screams road-worthy. Not sure what the warranty is, but probably one year. 

The expression pedal is gorgeous and monolithic and the hex key to adjust tension is massive. Everything about this board seems like it was designed for road use/abuse. I wouldn't worry about taking it on-stage at all. 

I'm hoping to get everything set up and ready to gig this thing on Halloween!


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## Rideski (Feb 25, 2009)

I never gave digital a second thought till I saw this come out. Now I'm actually considering this thing..


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I played in Rochester with a band who was using these. The guitarist I spoke to said he liked that his rig is easy to transport (lives in the UK), but he hadn't really got a grip on dialling everything in yet.

I wouldn't include selling your amp once you have this running - backups are key for a reason! And buying gear a second time isn't always fun 

Stoked to know you're liking it.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Rideski said:


> I never gave digital a second thought till I saw this come out. Now I'm actually considering this thing..


Really, the axe fx never piqued your curiosity? Being able to spend some time with one of the early generations is why I still want one haha.


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## Rideski (Feb 25, 2009)

Oh I was checking out the Axe FX vids/reviews but it still wasn't enough to sway me towards digital and forgo the analog that I love so much. I'm more f a set and forget kinda player and th simplicity of the Helix interface (from what I've heard) is a game changer for me.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

You can set and forget any unit


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## Rideski (Feb 25, 2009)

Here is a great vid by Pete Thorn on multiple configurations you can set up the Helix.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I'm pretty much done my first round of programming this thing now. I have a bunch of settings that I really like and a handful that I know still need work. Should be a fun ride!

I'm hoping to get some clips up soon. I'll post when I can. 











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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

The thing I really love about this unit is the FX loops. With the 4 loops, I'm able to do a lot of stuff that actually minimizes my work.

In the past, I've run 3 parallel chains to the board - one for my guitar and one for the EHX Mel9 and one for the B9. This meant mixing and EQ'ing 3 separate channels for my guitar. Also, as much as I wanted to use my Eventide H9 in stereo as well as send a stereo signal from the Mini Vent to the board, that would mean using up to 5 channels on my board, and all the additional work of mixing that.

With the Helix, I can do everything "in-the-box." I've got the Mel 9 in loop 1, the B9 in loop 2 and the Neo Vent receives a signal from loop 3 and sends back in stereo to loops 3 and 4. This makes it a breeze to run a parallel chain for the songs I need the additional effects in and run a single stereo signal to the board. Additionally, I'm able to alter the send levels within each Helix patch, so some of the Mel9 settings that are a bit quiet (strings, for example) can get boosted without me having to worry about hitting a fader or cranking a knob. I've basically set everythign up so that as long as the volume knobs on my EHX pedals are at noon, I'm good-to-go. 

So much stress and work during set-up have been totally eliminated! Honestly, testing my B9 and Mel9 volumes in the main mix was one of the biggest headaches I had when doing soundcheck. There's such a fine line between having the effect too quiet to be noticeable and then suddenly overbearing. Now I can test settings on my headphones and monitors at home to make sure things are balanced and not have to worry about it later.

As an added bonus, I'm using the FX loop 4 send to feed a signal to my TC Polytune. I was hoping to use the tuner on the Helix, but it's just waaaaay too finicky to use with the old tuners on my Tokais. 

This thing is really a sweet piece of kit, and I know that after 2 weeks I'm STILL just scratching the surface. I've created a setlist for my first show with the Helix (this Saturday, hope it goes well! *crosses fingers*) and the ease with which I can move things around is such a relief after having to deal with mechanically adjusting presets on my Musicomlab (which is an amazing midi loop controller, just not in this league).

I'm hoping to get someone to record a bit of our show, so hopefully I can post some vids of how it sounds in the context of a live band (assuming I don't suck that night!)


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## Cups (Jan 5, 2010)

I know people will disagree but having something that works and makes things easy and can grow and change as you grow and change is more important than how it sounds


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Cups said:


> I know people will disagree but having something that works and makes things easy and can grow and change as you grow and change is more important than how it sounds


I've yet to hear it coming out of large mains (rehearsal tomorrow!), but what I hear at home tells me that I don't have to worry about how it sounds, cuz so far, it sounds freakin' glorious!

I've been using the 3 Sigma Audio IRs, which definitely are a small upgrade over the stock cabs, and with the Fender Twin IR and the Friedman 4x12 IR, the Fender and Marshall sounds I'm getting out of this thing are easily as good as what I could dial my DRRI or JTM45 to.


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## tomsy49 (Apr 2, 2015)

Good to hear those IR's are working out for you too!


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

tomsy49 said:


> Good to hear those IR's are working out for you too!


Yeah, I'm digging them! I need to buy a couple more to round-out the collection. I'm looking for a good 4x10 Bassman IR. I don't think 3 Sigma has one. Gotta check redwirez and ownhammer.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

So my first experience with it in the room was pretty eye-opening. Here are some thoughts:

1) At full frequency range, there is a LOT of bottom end on these patches. Like a *LOT*. I generally EQ my amps on the trebly side, and I noticed a lot of the amp models' default settings had the bass up to 7 or 8, so I would dial that back nearly immediately. Even still, there was an almost unreasonable amount of low-end coming out of the PA. Thankfully, I'm the only guitar in the band, so I have a lot of frequency band to play with before I start taking-up other people's space, but after 3 songs, I had to reach for the mixer and cut the low end by quite a bit. I'll have to go into the master EQ of the Helix to counteract this.

2) My cleans were too quiet. While they sounded balanced against my overdrive tones in my headphones, in the room, they didn't have enough behind them and disappeared too much and when I cranked up the volume to make them audible, the overdrive tones were stupid-loud.

3) Delayelayelayelaylaylaylayayayayay. I have to turn the mix setting down on nearly every single delay patch I'm using. Again, while they sounded great in the headphones at home, they was WAY too much delay going on in the room. Sounded like the Edge gone wrong. 

4) Holy crap some of these sound incredible!! Out of the 38 presets I'd created, a good number of them sounded VERY good right off the bat, which is impressive considering how wrong I'd gotten a couple of them. The ones using the Marshall 1974 Plexi were best, which makes sense, since that's a sound I'm really familiar with. Fender Twin/Deluxe Reverb sounds were also good, again because I am familiar with those tones. I really effed-up a Vox AC30 patch, mostly because I've only use one a couple times. On the whole, I heard more good things through the Helix than bad things. The band thought it sounded good and actually preferred hearing the guitar in the mix rather than coming out of a closed-back cab where volume (or lack of it) can be a problem in certain areas. I definitely thought to myself a couple of times that the Marshall sound I was getting was at least as good as my PlexiTone pedal, which was my previous go-to for MIAB sounds. 

I'm really glad I was able to get to spend some time in the rehearsal space with it prior to our show on Saturday. I was really hesitant to use the Helix this early in my ownership of it, but it was so easy to use that I figured why not? Might as well jump right into the deep end. But I would've felt like a real dolt had I experienced all this for the first time on-stage. At least now I know what needs to be addressed and I can start my first round of tweaks.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

If I were gigging I would go with something like that as well. I don't understand why someone would gig these days with that big mess of pedals unless they can't afford to do the change. Your setup is so much easier and versatile. 

I do get why some people have all those pedals as a hobby but for practical purposes I think they are headed for the same place as the Model T.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Steadfastly said:


> If I were gigging I would go with something like that as well. I don't understand why someone would gig these days with that big mess of pedals unless they can't afford to do the change. Your setup is so much easier and versatile.
> 
> I do get why some people have all those pedals as a hobby but for practical purposes I think they are headed for the same place as the Model T.


It's a much easier investment to go buy a pedal at a time and then, when you're sick of tap-dancing, get a loop controller for them. That's the route I went and I was very happy with my setup for a long time, but it was a lot to haul - pedalboard, amp, guitars, etc. 

I'm basically planning on having a fire sale once everything is firmed-up on my end and, honestly, I will probably end up making some money at the end once I liquidate my old pedals and stuff. 

But yeah, this is a no-brainer for a gigging cover-band guitarist. I couldn't imagine going back to turning individual pedals on and off!!


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## pat6969 (Feb 4, 2013)

hollowbody said:


> It's a much easier investment to go buy a pedal at a time and then, when you're sick of tap-dancing, get a loop controller for them. That's the route I went and I was very happy with my setup for a long time, but it was a lot to haul - pedalboard, amp, guitars, etc.
> 
> I'm basically planning on having a fire sale once everything is firmed-up on my end and, honestly, I will probably end up making some money at the end once I liquidate my old pedals and stuff.
> 
> But yeah, this is a no-brainer for a gigging cover-band guitarist. I couldn't imagine going back to turning individual pedals on and off!!


That is the biggest mistake guys make with modellers, they don't make presets at gig volume. It's totally different when you make presets at home and then go to jam.

I was in the same boat as you. I had so many pedals, after I sold them (and one amp) I made about $500 after I paid for my AX8 and Kemper. Plus I don't miss tube amps one bit. These things are getting so good you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.


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## Cups (Jan 5, 2010)

From a guy who's been there: Simplify. At least at first. 
To my ears, the Voxs don't sound as good with other amps. If you plan on making the Vox the main stage ind than it sounds great. So keep the Marshals and Fenders. Maybe four patches tops for live. Once you get that under your belt you can tackle more complex things.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Cups said:


> From a guy who's been there: Simplify. At least at first.
> To my ears, the Voxs don't sound as good with other amps. If you plan on making the Vox the main stage ind than it sounds great. So keep the Marshals and Fenders. Maybe four patches tops for live. Once you get that under your belt you can tackle more complex things.


Haha, keeping it simple has never been my strength. I'm at well over 30 patches already. Most of them sound pretty strong already and just need some minor tweaks. A couple, as I discovered yesterday, need major changes. For instances, as much as the German Mahadeva (Bogner Shiva) sounded killer in my home set-up, it sounded like complete crap in a full PA rig. That's gonna have to go.


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## pat6969 (Feb 4, 2013)

Check out the Line 6 user group on Facebook. Lots of good idea's there that will help you a lot.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

30 patches? 

I understand the "nail every tone for every song" thing, but the MB owner's band has (had?) a guitarist that just used one tone for everything - and he sounded pretty damn good.

Simplifying may not be to your strength, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try . The less things to go wrong/mess with, the easier things are.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Budda said:


> 30 patches?
> 
> I understand the "nail every tone for every song" thing, but the MB owner's band has (had?) a guitarist that just used one tone for everything - and he sounded pretty damn good.
> 
> Simplifying may not be to your strength, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try . The less things to go wrong/mess with, the easier things are.


I've got songs that need synths, songs that need B3, songs that need strings, horns, etc. there's no way I can drop down to less than what I have. Although, for the most part, many of them are variations on one master patch, but there's still a lot that differs from one to the next. 


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Sounds like you need a keyboard player, really.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Budda said:


> Sounds like you need a keyboard player, really.


Yes. Yes we do. Although we're really trying to keep it down to a four piece. The singer plays keys in some songs, but she'd rather focus on singing and we don't really want her to have a bank of keys in front of her anyway. Oh well. More work for me means more toys!


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Yeah, but also more work!

Besides, sell the C9/B9 combo add a little cash and you can get a fun amp for home or something


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Steadfastly said:


> If I were gigging I would go with something like that as well. I don't understand why someone would gig these days with that big mess of pedals unless they can't afford to do the change. Your setup is so much easier and versatile.
> 
> I do get why some people have all those pedals as a hobby but for practical purposes I think they are headed for the same place as the Model T.


I love the passive aggressive undertones of this post. Classic @Steadfastly.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

So the first gig with the Helix went really well! I made some changes to some patches and was generally pretty happy with how they sounded, but I heard a few things on-stage that still need to be taken care of (one patch's clean tone was too low, one patch has a wonky chorus sound).

I wussed-out in terms of travelling light. I decided to haul my keyboard amp to have on-stage as a monitor because we were playing a new venue and I didn't know what the set-up was going to be like, but the production crew and equipment are very pro and when we go back next week, I'll likely to ampless.

In all honesty, other that _knowing_ in my head that I was using a digital modeler, there wasn't really any other difference in terms of sound, feel, etc. on-stage. Obviously, this is my first show with it, so there's still a lot that I need to experience and figure-out, but it's a very encouraging start.

Not sure if this will work, but here's a couple links to some Instagram videos. These were shot on an iPhone, so keep that in mind 


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http://instagr.am/p/BMMUSUjBtDP/


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http://instagr.am/p/BMMeiHmBibt/


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

hollowbody said:


> So the first gig with the Helix went really well! I made some changes to some patches and was generally pretty happy with how they sounded, but I heard a few things on-stage that still need to be taken care of (one patch's clean tone was too low, one patch has a wonky chorus sound).
> 
> I wussed-out in terms of travelling light. I decided to haul my keyboard amp to have on-stage as a monitor because we were playing a new venue and I didn't know what the set-up was going to be like, but the production crew and equipment are very pro and when we go back next week, I'll likely to ampless.
> 
> ...


Hmm. Let's try this instead. 












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## Spinedriver (Mar 19, 2016)

Back about 10 yrs ago, I used to use a Pod XTL and a power amp for my live rig and one of the first things I learned was that patches made while wearing headphones did not always translate very well for use with the power amp.

I'm in the same boat as a few others here, it'd be amazing to have one but not being in a band kind of makes spending over $2 K on a processor is a bit too 'extravagant' for something I'll just be using at home. On a funny side note, my local L&M 'accidentally' got one in stock about a month ago, so if I wanted one, I wouldn't even have had to order it.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Spinedriver said:


> Back about 10 yrs ago, I used to use a Pod XTL and a power amp for my live rig and one of the first things I learned was that patches made while wearing headphones did not always translate very well for use with the power amp.
> 
> I'm in the same boat as a few others here, it'd be amazing to have one but not being in a band kind of makes spending over $2 K on a processor is a bit too 'extravagant' for something I'll just be using at home. On a funny side note, my local L&M 'accidentally' got one in stock about a month ago, so if I wanted one, I wouldn't even have had to order it.


Being at home is usually how people afford the expensive toys.

If you have the 2k, go for it.


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## Spinedriver (Mar 19, 2016)

Budda said:


> Being at home is usually how people afford the expensive toys.
> 
> If you have the 2k, go for it.


Not even close.. LOL... 

Between us needing new doors, a roof for the garage, a freezer, paying off the $11 K we spent on a new roof, some how I can't see my wife green lighting me spending two grand on a processor.  That being said, if I was in a band and playing out a few times a month, she'd probably say yes. For now though, i'm pretty satisfied with my GSP1101/Pod X3 setup. She is pretty good though, usually for my b-day and x-mas she gives me the thumbs up to get a pedal or two if I want.

Now, I know what you're saying; ' Just take the cash, sock it away and in a couple of years, buy a Kemper or whatever'. The point of it though is that she has no idea what to get me for presents, so she doesn't mind if I spend $100-$200 on a pedal because we can afford it. Dropping $2K-$3K on a piece of music gear when we should be buying other stuff is where the line gets drawn.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

You don't have the $2k then. 

It's usually the guys at home/who have well-paying gigs who can afford the nice shiny stuff.

I have way less to spend on gear from being in a real band compared to when all I did was have two practices a week (in town no less!) and no obligations outside of regular bills.

But now we're derailing poor Saro and this isn't MG.org.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Spinedriver said:


> Back about 10 yrs ago, I used to use a Pod XTL and a power amp for my live rig and one of the first things I learned was that patches made while wearing headphones did not always translate very well for use with the power amp.
> 
> I'm in the same boat as a few others here, it'd be amazing to have one but not being in a band kind of makes spending over $2 K on a processor is a bit too 'extravagant' for something I'll just be using at home. On a funny side note, my local L&M 'accidentally' got one in stock about a month ago, so if I wanted one, I wouldn't even have had to order it.


While modelers really shine in bands where you NEED to have a ton of different tones available, I think they're just as useful for home. Think about those times when you want to bust out some 80's rock and your home amp is a Hot Rod Deluxe and doesn't quite sound right? Or if you've got a young family who needs sleep and you want to practice after 10pm? Apartment life? This thing is perfect for that.



Budda said:


> You don't have the $2k then.
> 
> It's usually the guys at home/who have well-paying gigs who can afford the nice shiny stuff.
> 
> ...


Lol, not a derail at all. I was mulling over the Axe FX for a loooooong time. I knew digital modelers were right for me, but I couldn't pull the trigger on the cash. I knew that if I liquidated my gear, I would have way more than enough to pay for it, but I couldn't pay for it FIRST before selling my stuff. That's why I jumped on the Helix. Not only is the feature-set even more aligned with what I need to do, but the Yorkville Month 0% interest deal at L&M was a no-brainer.

As an added bonus, I really feel like recording again now. I haven't recorded any original music in a couple of years, mostly because the set-up time is prohibitive (I don't have a dedicated music space) and it's almost impossible to have a quiet time to record where the mics aren't picking up something from inside the house, outside traffic, neighbours, cats, etc. Being able to plug-in to the computer and record silently really has me keen on it again. I used to do the same thing with my Tech21 British pedal, but I only had the one, so everything was all-Marshall, all the time. Now I have WAY more options!


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

double post


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I have garage band and an interface for headphone recording - the tones definitely get the job done. There's actually a lot of flexibility for amps and cabs, a bit less so with effects.

That being said, the last time I recorded anything was probably the beginning of summer haha.

I take it the patches are a bit more fine-tuned for the shows now?


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Budda said:


> I have garage band and an interface for headphone recording - the tones definitely get the job done. There's actually a lot of flexibility for amps and cabs, a bit less so with effects.
> 
> That being said, the last time I recorded anything was probably the beginning of summer haha.
> 
> I take it the patches are a bit more fine-tuned for the shows now?



Definitely coming along. Fixed a few that were an issue and discovered some other things I didn't like over the weekend. Mostly it's getting volume levels uniform across a single song and then across the set list. But every now and then I think I'm totally nailing a tone and then realize it sounds like shit a few days after.

My problem is that my preferred work style is all-at-once in one, huge chunk of time. Doing 30 patches in one day is efficient, but ear-fatigue (never mind actual fatigue) is a real problem in that situation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I don't envy you. My board hasn't changed since whenever I put the last reverb on haha.


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