I use your shelf EQ trick on 90% of my presets these days. It’s very handy and quick to get a better sound from an overly warm or bright preset. Your channel just keeps on giving! 😎
Your EQ and compressor tips have really had an impact on how I go about creating tones with my Stomp since I've had it (almost 2 1/2 years). Thanks so much for continuing to share all of your knowledge!
I think these were really great tips. Thank you very much. I especially like the idea of opening up an amp model and throw on a subtle reverb and just playing with what you got. Quit tweaking and tweaking and tweaking. Pull yourself out of the box. Really like that advice and I agree with that. In the old days with certain amplifiers that you would have in the real world, you only have a very limited resources of changing the sound of your amp, and you could make it really work just by changing the way you play instead of a knob. Again thanks.
I park the deluxe compressor between my amp and cab and then use different compression ratios in different snapshots. Making it a more Dynamic use of Compression that adjusts for different parts of the song. Sounds big.
I think that's exactly what I needed after swearing at the HX for 2 hours yesterday. Gonna build my own from scratch rathe than try and fix a preset. ;)
I never understand why people even bother with ANY of the factory presets. Make what you need.. you can make anything you want that actually sounds good. Just erase them all
A good place to start is to do some research into how the tone was created in the first place like what gear was used to record it. Where I would start is the amp used, as it’s a foundation, past that I would look into gain stages (ODs, distortions, etc.), effects, cab/speakers, and even the microphone used if you can find it. See what models you can use in the Helix to get close to the original equipment, and then, starting at the amp, EQ it to sound similar. After that you can go more into the post-production type stuff in the Helix like the shelf EQs, subtle always-on verb, and end of chain compressors like he shows in this video to polish the final sound.
I wish I had learned this before I even turned the unit on for the first time. None of the built-in presets are set up properly for general ambience (reverb/delay).
After using this technique for a long time, the 650hz frequencies are where I find the shelf eq to be most useful for most tone situations. Having said that, there are times where I will change this and nothing is "carved in stone" but I do find this to be a great starting point for most use cases. Hope that helps :-)
Okay...so you don't play rockabilly. You can't. maybe? Delay is used to put the listener into a specific sound scape. A room, a cave, what have you. You need to figure out what that is. If it's not short slap back...nobody cares what you hate. Just use what you want.
@@TheMrClaus it's fine...I'm not "defensive". Just think it's kinda silly to think people care that you hate it. You either don;t use it...or don't know how...it's fine. Of course...it might be considered silly for me to think people care that I think your professed hate of it is silly. Right? 8>)
In relation to your tip about adding the low/high shelf EQ. The problem I have is that my tone sounds great in my headphones. But when I use an external speaker, the tone is way too nasally and cardboard tube like. Sure, it means my speaker isn't great. Fair enough. But how can I help that with the EQ? Would be nice to have a video about how to better match what we hear from our speakers with what we hear from our headphones.
Headphones = in the mix, speaker = in the room. Every studio album/recording you've ever heard was recorded with the guitar in the mix, the polar opposite of live performance guitar which is in the room; that means an in the mix preset will almost never work in the room - unless an engineer operating a pro house PA system is involved, you'll need a differing snapshot/preset for each. Search "Jim Lill one thing influential guitar tone" for the crash course on the subject.
The Tilt EQ is a much quicker and easier way to adjust the sound for a room or mix. It does essentially what you've done, boosts low and cuts high, or vice versa.
It works for certain situations, but lacks the ability to tweak either end independently which is why I much prefer the shelf EQs and why I very purposely did not bring it up in this video.
@@JasonSadites That's correct... however, for me, at least, those "certain situations" represents about 90% of cases that I need to tweak my guitar for room acoustics or to sit better in a mix. In my 40 years of playing and recording, it normally involves adjusting how bright or dark my guitar is in a particular physical &/or sonic environment... something for which I've found the judicious application of a simple Tilt EQ is perfect. YMMV. Thanks for the videos, by the way... love your content.
Hey Rob, my pleasure! Using the La Studio Comp on Helix would me more like utilizing the Tonex Compressor set to Post and used in a very subtle manner, which is how I utilize it in my Tonex presets also. The PostEQ in Tonex would be more comparable to using the Shelf EQ in this video. You can most certainly use the LA Studio Comp to level you presets by using the Level control on it. You could also do the same using the Gain control on the Tonex Compressor when set to Post. Hope that helps :-)
Hey man! I’m quite new to this, and have a question. How are you monitoring the Helix / Guitar without headphones and the mic not picking it up? Is it because the mic is a dynamic mic and thus highly directional or is there a trick?
Hi, great question! My mic is picking up the Helix sounds but I record the voiceover tracks and the guitar on separate tracks in Cubase. Before I start editing the video, I carefully edit the audio on the voiceover track to get rid of any of the sound of the mic picking up the guitar so that the final product only contains the sound of the Helix when it is playing. Hope that helps :-)
I use your shelf EQ trick on 90% of my presets these days. It’s very handy and quick to get a better sound from an overly warm or bright preset. Your channel just keeps on giving! 😎
Your EQ and compressor tips have really had an impact on how I go about creating tones with my Stomp since I've had it (almost 2 1/2 years). Thanks so much for continuing to share all of your knowledge!
I love pulling up amp/cab combos that I'd never use in a live setting and just noodling around with them for a while like Tip 5. Great fun!
I think these were really great tips. Thank you very much. I especially like the idea of opening up an amp model and throw on a subtle reverb and just playing with what you got. Quit tweaking and tweaking and tweaking. Pull yourself out of the box. Really like that advice and I agree with that. In the old days with certain amplifiers that you would have in the real world, you only have a very limited resources of changing the sound of your amp, and you could make it really work just by changing the way you play instead of a knob. Again thanks.
Fantastic video where you make a great workflow even more perfect.Thanks.
Nice improvement to the lighting situation, you look way more natural.
Thank you! Actually new camera and lens, I agree it looks much better 😀
I park the deluxe compressor between my amp and cab and then use different compression ratios in different snapshots. Making it a more Dynamic use of Compression that adjusts for different parts of the song. Sounds big.
The EQ trick has saved me so many times, it's the most efficient way to quickly adjust to the venue
Shouldn’t global eq used for that?
Incredibly helpful as always
I think that's exactly what I needed after swearing at the HX for 2 hours yesterday. Gonna build my own from scratch rathe than try and fix a preset. ;)
I never understand why people even bother with ANY of the factory presets. Make what you need.. you can make anything you want that actually sounds good. Just erase them all
would you suggest the same EQ for bass with the 650hz low and high
Hi Jason I am trying to get the tone for Cliffs Of Dover I am fairly new with the helix and I really don't know how to build that tone
A good place to start is to do some research into how the tone was created in the first place like what gear was used to record it. Where I would start is the amp used, as it’s a foundation, past that I would look into gain stages (ODs, distortions, etc.), effects, cab/speakers, and even the microphone used if you can find it. See what models you can use in the Helix to get close to the original equipment, and then, starting at the amp, EQ it to sound similar. After that you can go more into the post-production type stuff in the Helix like the shelf EQs, subtle always-on verb, and end of chain compressors like he shows in this video to polish the final sound.
Hi. Would putting an LA Comp at the end of chain means that I don’t need to put Comp at the start of the chain? Thanks!
Does it matter where in the signal chain you put the EQ?
I wish I had learned this before I even turned the unit on for the first time. None of the built-in presets are set up properly for general ambience (reverb/delay).
How did you get the input meter is that in HX edit?
Unfortunately not, I was using Helix Native for the video :-(
@@JasonSadites Oh that would have been a great tool if it was in HX thanks
I totally agree :-)
Why always 650Hz in EQ as a "switch"? Any particular reason?
After using this technique for a long time, the 650hz frequencies are where I find the shelf eq to be most useful for most tone situations. Having said that, there are times where I will change this and nothing is "carved in stone" but I do find this to be a great starting point for most use cases. Hope that helps :-)
@@JasonSadites thanks for all the tips you give us!
@@andreajem7v my pleasure :-)
Tip 2: everyone does it, but I absolutely HATE the sound of a short slapback delay. It's highly suggested by everyone but I can't stand how it sounds.
Okay...so you don't play rockabilly. You can't. maybe? Delay is used to put the listener into a specific sound scape. A room, a cave, what have you. You need to figure out what that is. If it's not short slap back...nobody cares what you hate. Just use what you want.
@@dewdude2112 I'm just commenting on a specific sound, it's just a comment, not a critique. I know it's an actual valid tip, no need to get defensive
@@TheMrClaus it's fine...I'm not "defensive". Just think it's kinda silly to think people care that you hate it. You either don;t use it...or don't know how...it's fine.
Of course...it might be considered silly for me to think people care that I think your professed hate of it is silly. Right? 8>)
In relation to your tip about adding the low/high shelf EQ. The problem I have is that my tone sounds great in my headphones. But when I use an external speaker, the tone is way too nasally and cardboard tube like. Sure, it means my speaker isn't great. Fair enough. But how can I help that with the EQ? Would be nice to have a video about how to better match what we hear from our speakers with what we hear from our headphones.
Headphones = in the mix, speaker = in the room. Every studio album/recording you've ever heard was recorded with the guitar in the mix, the polar opposite of live performance guitar which is in the room; that means an in the mix preset will almost never work in the room - unless an engineer operating a pro house PA system is involved, you'll need a differing snapshot/preset for each. Search "Jim Lill one thing influential guitar tone" for the crash course on the subject.
The Tilt EQ is a much quicker and easier way to adjust the sound for a room or mix. It does essentially what you've done, boosts low and cuts high, or vice versa.
It works for certain situations, but lacks the ability to tweak either end independently which is why I much prefer the shelf EQs and why I very purposely did not bring it up in this video.
@@JasonSadites That's correct... however, for me, at least, those "certain situations" represents about 90% of cases that I need to tweak my guitar for room acoustics or to sit better in a mix. In my 40 years of playing and recording, it normally involves adjusting how bright or dark my guitar is in a particular physical &/or sonic environment... something for which I've found the judicious application of a simple Tilt EQ is perfect. YMMV. Thanks for the videos, by the way... love your content.
Thx for all the Vids.
My pleasure George and thank you!
Thank you Jason! Would your LA Comp trick be the equivalent of adding PostEQ to a Tonex model? And if so, could I use the LA Comp to level my presets?
Hey Rob, my pleasure! Using the La Studio Comp on Helix would me more like utilizing the Tonex Compressor set to Post and used in a very subtle manner, which is how I utilize it in my Tonex presets also. The PostEQ in Tonex would be more comparable to using the Shelf EQ in this video. You can most certainly use the LA Studio Comp to level you presets by using the Level control on it. You could also do the same using the Gain control on the Tonex Compressor when set to Post. Hope that helps :-)
@@JasonSadites thanks again! Im basically looking for the equivalent of the Tonex controls in the Helix, so that definitely helps
Hey man! I’m quite new to this, and have a question. How are you monitoring the Helix / Guitar without headphones and the mic not picking it up? Is it because the mic is a dynamic mic and thus highly directional or is there a trick?
Hi, great question! My mic is picking up the Helix sounds but I record the voiceover tracks and the guitar on separate tracks in Cubase. Before I start editing the video, I carefully edit the audio on the voiceover track to get rid of any of the sound of the mic picking up the guitar so that the final product only contains the sound of the Helix when it is playing. Hope that helps :-)
@@JasonSadites Ahh!! Genious! Thanks a bunch :D Highly appreciate your content
Totally my pleasure and really glad you enjoy what I do :-)
Is your volume meter on the left and right coming from hx edit?
That’s what I wanna know