for those musicians who loyal to the real amp , they can consider bluguitar amp 1 iridium or mercury , h&k nanotube , victory amp , etc . Last thing need to know , Thomas blug said that bluguitar ampx gonna be released in June . there will be a demo video , sound sample . looking forward to amp x
Exactly. I use(and prefer) real amps when my band is direct support or headlining but if you have to get in/get out/ are not on the tour and only have 7 minutes to get on and off stage(like how Warped tour would literally fire you if you were not off in 7 minutes) this is perfect. Anyone who says otherwise has never done any real touring or fly dates
Imho the helix relies more on third party ir than the other “big” modellers, but it takes it to another level. Especially when you use all the routing options the helix offers in combination with a tube amp, this is going insane.
I was honestly “meh” about my HX Stomp for awhile - BUT they did some sort of “resolution” update to the sound that changed the game for me. Now I want the rack.
Line6 always made great stuff. People were just lazy and didn’t spend time getting to know the units and get the most out of them. Helix is also the most user friend modeler out there
I have a Pod Go and my co guitarist has a Helix, we run them through Headrush speakers and it’s a game changer. Sound guys love it, and as an opening band it’s nice to have all the extra room after back lining lol. Welcome to the Line 6 fam 🤘
I have the POD Go as well, go it so I didn’t have to spend the equivalent price on a pedal setup for my church rig and I can use it for so much more than just worship. Can’t beat it for the price and it rocks for recording since I can’t max out my amps to record in my bedroom
I love my helix. I play guitar at my church and if I want to play through a fender, I get my fender patch, if I want a vox, I get my vox patch. When I'm home, I play metal. I wouldn't be able to afford all of the amps that I would need. The helix is perfect for me.
Love my helix! Check out Jason Sadites channel for anything Helix related or Nick Hill. Those dudes are my go to guys for when I was learning to use my Helix.
Cool video! Classic strawman against modelers = "you just tweak tones, never play"... Well, I use literally 3 profiles with my Kemper... one distorted, one clean, one for bass... It's all up to the user to decide for something and not get lost in "tweak hell"
Sold all of my expensive tube amps and gigantic pedalboard 6 months ago. Bought the helix and power and 212 plus. Took 2 hours to grasp a hold of it without resourcing a single instruction. Hands down best guitar decision I have made since the day I started playing.
I have an LT and love it! IR's will take you deeper down the rabbit hole. But if you have a preferred IR pack, it'll play quite well with your Helix. Feel free to share any presets you dial in on Custom Tone or in the descriptions/comments! :)
Love my Helix....I've had Diezels and Marshalls and I have finally found my favourite gear. But you MUST get some IRs...the thing comes ALIVE and sounds a million times better...trust me! Ownhammer are really good....but my favourites came from Michael Britt...he has a pack of presets which are great.... probably not so useful for your sound but the IRs that come with it are amazing! I use mine with a Headrush FRFR speaker. Have a great time on tour mate!
Right on bro! Congratulations on your purchase. Have you tried using the computer app for the Helix? Its a bit easier to navigate and create tones. I currently have an hx effects unit and its rad. Its glitching on me at the moment and not usable so its off my board till I can figure out whats going on with it. Looks like I may have to do a firmware reinstall and if that doesn't work I may have to take it apart and check a connection ribbon thats been known to work loose. So if your Helix glitches out, don't panic or throw it to the curb. It may be a simple fix. Those things are powerful tools! I hope it does everything you need and more.
i got an FM3 as a present to myself after passing my flight paramedic exam a couple years ago and i have never play guitar as much as i have recently. i have a vintage fender deluxe reverb but to walk in a guitar store and look at pedals/amps and say “eh i have that at home” is crazy. not to mention it can process my piezo/electric guitars. modelers these days make so much more sense for players who want tone with portability.
Welcome to the Helix club 🤘 I got a LT nearly a year ago and it was a game changer. There's gonna be a lot of people interested in your custom tone's so get ready for that 😁 having gigged with a setup like the one you described I'd say get yourself a good holdall and rock the Helix on the road. Good luck with the tour and stay metal 🤘
Hell yeah man! That thing is crazy. I just got their PodGo Wireless which I know is a tiny microcosm of the Helix but it sounds really really great. I personally love getting nerdy with new gadget and gear so the learning curve was fun for me on the PodGo, but the lack of touchscreen is a bit of a negative for me as well. Glad to see you venturing out. Tone sounds legit via the sound demo! Have fun on tour buddy!
This tube thing is rediculous. The ehx guy wrote an article over a yr ago about a tube shortage. There was no panic and people could still get tubes. This isn't new news. But he spoke about it again, TH-cam influencers got it and caused a panic buy frenzy. 2 weeks ago you could get tubes. Now every site is wiped out and some stopped sales. Remember TP Gate 2019? We were fine. Being said...solid choice on the Helix Ray. It's solid kit and great for a touring musician. I love my tube amps but would prefer them for recording and the Helix live. Cheers!
Happy NGD dude! That's awesome! I honestly pondered recently about getting either an HX Stomp or PodGo. I've been exclusively digital since a bit after Covid hit, so I decided to roll the dice (pun intended) with something of a more all analog approach for direct to interface recording. A Victory V4 "The Jack" preamp. It's completely blown my mind (and budget for a bit hahaha!) Besides, I've had a longtime running love/hate relationship with Line 6 products that spans across literally decades of products like: The first POD (Nope), the DL4 (absolute freakin' game changer of it's day IMO), an old Flextone 3 combo (meh), and a busted input 1x12 Spider III 50 watt combo a buddy found left out by an apartment dumpster that, after fixing and hearing the amp, I honestly wanted to go toss back into! Haha! Although, this new Line 6 Metallurgy Doom plugin?!!! Looks/Sounds seriously wicked AF!!! The Helix stuff is Super Freakin' Solid though from what I hear, and also given the recent vacuum tube supply issue and it's subsequent stupid "panic buying" of tubes now going on? I'd be more than inclined to say that not only have you just made an honest forward thinking touring investment, but one helluva good call for "road-dog" durability and overall venue tone consistency. Definitely a smart move. Sounds absolutely brutal too BTW! Haha! \m/
Take a look at Sonic Drive Studio's A/B comparison between the Orange Rockerverb and the Helix model and see if you can tell the difference... th-cam.com/video/K9XeFZ7sRgE/w-d-xo.html
I have an old Line6 POD XT-Live that I used to really like but, not so much anymore (I'll trade you for that Helix!). Have been thinking about getting a Helix but... I'm getting drawn to the BluGuitar Amp1 Iridium. It is a much smaller package than the Helix and it has a 100w power amp with a tube in it. It sounds incredible! No effects except reverb, but I generally don't like built-in effects, I like pedals.
It's funny. I just sold mine to get the Kemper instead. You make the Helix sound great dude! You should try out some IRs. I've used to use Ownhammer IRs and York Audio IRs! Would make some interesting comparisons!
Use your tube amps as powerstages via EFX return, have a parallel Di. out with cabinet emulation to FOH, very powerful setup, makes bad FOH sound almost impossible (there are BAD soundguys out there...).
I just started running one with a powerstage 200 and a 2x12 orange. I still prefer my frfr for running lite weight, but there is something about a real cab.
Its probably best to play with the Helix at a rehearsal first (if possible) before you take it on the road with you. You mentioned using a solid state power amp, I have tried many and the SD Powerstage units sound best with the Helix. It has a great Treble/Mid/Bass EQ that helps shape the tone without having to tweak the Helix itself. If you want over the top greatness when using a real cabinet, use a tube power amp. I have the Mooer Tube Engine at 20w el84s and the KSR PA 50w el34. The KSR also takes 6L6s with a simple bias tweak in front of the unit and its about the size and weight of a lunch box amp. Of course you can always run the Helix in 4 cable method but that defeats the purpose of not having to lug around a tube amp. Try running the Helix in any tube amp loop return and you will see/hear the difference.
I was just thinking isn’t this Ray who went to Russo’s music in Philly? Yep it is him. I have the helix rack and the Kemper. I need a real pedal to help both with feel and sound. Not a chugger or heavy metal player. For now I’m going to continue enjoy my tube amps and a great pedal. I haven’t had them for more than about 8 yrs re my amps. I saved up for and waited til I deserved it so I think the tube shortage will be worked out through Mike Mathew’s from EHX and Western Electric. Someone could make a ton of dough making tubes here and not relying on a war criminal to make them. Yep and obviously hoping the war ends asap. If you plug in a diesel pedal into keys say a Friedman or Bogner it beats the modelers. Just picked up a quad cortex just in case the tubes do have to wait. Tbh the best overlooked double modeler is the Yamaha 100hd $800 new comes with power. Plug in and play thru a real cab. Cheers Ray. Stay safe.
Your tubes will be fine. If your amp goes down, it's probably not a tube issue. I still own my parents old zenith tube television from 1958. With original tubes. And they are fine.
Agreed. My late Grandpa’s Super Reverb has tubes in it that must be 40 years old by now. Still works fine. I’ve changed out the large capacitors though.
It wasn't a big deal for me to not have a tube while gigging..coz here in the phillipines, we are so used to floorboards/mfx coz for ease and can't afford a good amp and pedals way back(early 2000's).....so good to see the advancement of the fb/mfx now...it doesn't really matter...as long it sounds good and stable...
Had my Helix for 4 years +...Wait till you get to doing snapshots...Super awesome.Learn the global eq Ray,very important...Congrats and you will fall in love with it my man...Many big,big bands have those babies behind the curtain...Much luck dude
Stick the Simple Pitch in block #1 to get the best tracking for it. Also don’t use the poly pitch capo over simple pitch. It’s doesn’t track as well and colors your tone.
These are 7 years old now, so at the time...touch screen just wasn't a demand like it may be now. I'm sure we're going to see a Helix 2 not too far from now. More DSP, touch screen, smaller in size. It's definitely coming.
just use the helix. I have a headrush and unless I am headlining, backlining and then have roadies will I go back to bringing my amps. You're better off making sound check and moving gear faster for you band especially if opening
2 plus years enjoying my Helix setup.. I use it with with two power amps into 2 412's in a mono wet/dry setup. Monster tone... As for the IR'S and Cabs for recording. I went down the rabbit hole at first but seriously the stock cabs are quite good.
I had an LT for a while and to be totally honest, it wasn't for me. It didn't sound anything like the real amps, despite what I heard in videos. It's one thing to hear it, it's another thing entirely to play it.
I've had the Helix LT for awhile but don't use it as much since I've gotten into Neural DSP plugins. I do think the Helix is great for people who tour, which I don't do. It has great amps and pedals. The Archetype is amazing.
Line 6 is the Kia of effects processors. They were a cheap joke that had their niche for many years and then re-evaluated their whole company and made the correct changes and made modern gear for the modern player. Kudos to them. And they didnt need Blake Griffin to jump over it.
Here’s something you can do. Use a send 1 block in between the amp and cab so when you use a frfr or what ever the speaker doesn’t come through that. The helix world is very difficult at first but after you know what you are doing you get some crazy stuff out of it. Also to make it easier using the software on the computer really helps. Also a big one always back up your helix weekly and put it on a flash drive. You never know when it’ll come in handy.
It will need upgrade.Real amp never needs upgrade and always is as good as 10 years back.But we are in a new times.We have to wait till some company starts doing what Russia is the best in..
@@Bernz66 it's great. I'm using it with a 21000usb C Anker power bank (with a 9volt usb cable). Right now, my girlfriend is using it for vocal effects, while I'm getting by with a boss katana 212 (also got that for a good deal).
Take your tube rig. Worst case scenario a tube goes and you use a spare, run out of spares and youve got a lineup of tube amps to pinch tubes from until supplies are good to go. With the one factory still producing tubes they will return...
have a hx stomp xl and love it. I use it mostly for effects in front on my amps but I also play with the amp models on there from time to time. IR's really give it the extra lift. I just export them from the GGD studio cabs plugins.
I don't know it may be his settings but the gain sounds trebly and broken up like they always have. Not warm at all. It would be a sound man's nightmare
I've owned my helix since 2017, best piece of gear I've ever owned, watch Jason Sadites videos on the Helix, He digs into every corner of the thing and explains it very well
Im a helix user and have been since about 2018. I found that it is wayyyyyy easier to navigate on the actual device over and Fractal products. I mainly edit patches from come computer then save everything to the helix. I hope you enjoy it! It's a great piece of gear!
The Helix as well what I am hearing is it is very articulate with how good the distortion sounds with chords and single notation. I know some floor modeling amps like those have a hard time with distortion. The Distortion on this amp sound really good.
"It took several hours to understand this thing" And that's why I steer clear from modelers, no hate, I just don't want to spend hours learning how to use it, and then god knows how long to program what I want. More power to those that jump into this stuff, it's just not for me!
I totally respect that some people prefer simplicity but a couple of hours to learn a modeler is pretty good compared to the 1000+ hours it took to learn how to play guitar. You can also make extremely easy patched with just an amp, cab some reverb and delay. This is how I use it and I am completely happy using it for basic needs.
One thing to be aware of when using the Helix live, be VERY wary of the power running to the stage. I was running a Helix live for a while cause I'm lazy and didn't want to carry my head and pedal board to gigs, I used Helix at 3 gigs, and at 2 of them there was questionable power on stage, leading to the Helix rebooting, meaning I had 20-30 seconds of dead air. Last gig I missed a part where I was supposed to be playing a guitar break on my own cause it was rebooting. After that I felt like I couldn't trust it. Granted it's more of an issue with house power than the Helix itself (it's a phenomenal unit) but I felt like I couldn't trust it after that. Just my two cents for what they're worth. Love your videos dude!
My original comment seems to have gotten deleted. Perhaps because I tried to discreetly link a site that says what all the models are inside of the amp? Anyway, I'd bet you'll come to love your Helix more as time goes on. A couple small tips would be to use the Precision Drive pedal model, Horizon Drive. Also try out the Badonk amp for high gain goodness. Also it's very documented that the cab models leave a bit to be desired. I recommend using IRs for any metal patch. After you've found your perfect pedal/amp/IR combo its all about getting those EQs set. It can seem intimidating, but after building a couple cool patches at the computer with HX Edit you might get hooked.
good players can make a kazoo sound good. build up chops first then tweak sound. I just see too many players just want gear that make noise but they just cant play. Kinda like clout chasers for gear. plus you dont metal on p90s. shows you dont really know gear.
Hey Ray…quick, simple suggestion. If you need a small but effective power amp for that thing, give the electro harmonix 44 caliber a shot. I have one and still can’t believe it kept up with the engl savage and 5150 in rehearsal and live. I didn’t even have to come close to turning it all the way up. I was pairing it with an atomic aa12.
So much for your little headrush MX 5 lol! A little back story I actually tried out the headrush MX-5 after watching your video on it and the first one I got the touch screen did not work on it so I returned it and got a second one and that one had foot switching issues as well a few other issues so I had to send that one back as well. Now I have the Boss GT-1000 which I just got recently and I love it! I had looked at the Helix as well but I have always had good luck with Boss products so I went with Boss. They are very similar units and they both can just go direct into the P.A. with out needing any amps or cabs which makes touring and gigging so much easier especially as an opening act. There was also a bit of a learning curve with the Boss Gt-1000 as well but I think it is a little easier to program then the helix from what I have seen and heard. I say take the helix on tour with you and make your life easy and simple out there and good luck with the tour as well look foward to seeing the video's from it!!
@@xanderraymondcharles well that sucks man!! I will say this I did like the ease of the touch screen but I prefer having to turn knobs in stead of a touch screen as I feel there are just to many things that can go wrong with it especially in a liver setting so I would day you are way better off with how the helix works. But ya the learning curve on these new multi effects pedals can really suck! I am like you I like to keep it simple.
Good luck bro!!! I know how it can be with a new piece of gear that is not easy to work with (talking about my QC), but once you start to get the hang of it they are really worth their weight for sure 🤘🔥🔥🤘
![ผัวเถื่อน - ยูริ โตเกียวมิวสิค [ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/P08ORRVDGl8/mqdefault.jpg)
For touring musicians that can't afford large crews or the cost to travel with tube amps, modelers are the way to go. Sounds great, my dude!
Even for people who can, it’s just so much more convenient for many people (:
for those musicians who loyal to the real amp , they can consider bluguitar amp 1 iridium or mercury , h&k nanotube , victory amp , etc . Last thing need to know , Thomas blug said that bluguitar ampx gonna be released in June . there will be a demo video , sound sample . looking forward to amp x
Exactly. I use(and prefer) real amps when my band is direct support or headlining but if you have to get in/get out/ are not on the tour and only have 7 minutes to get on and off stage(like how Warped tour would literally fire you if you were not off in 7 minutes) this is perfect. Anyone who says otherwise has never done any real touring or fly dates
Imho the helix relies more on third party ir than the other “big” modellers, but it takes it to another level. Especially when you use all the routing options the helix offers in combination with a tube amp, this is going insane.
My fiancé bought me a Line 6 Helix last year and I’ve used it every single day ever since. Best piece of gear to ever exist in my opinion.
she's a keeper.
I agree.... Both with your statement and the she is a keeper one 🤣 wife that woman now! Have a blessed day dude
Dude try out the Line 6 Badonk amp in there. Pretty killer amp for the chugs.
I was honestly “meh” about my HX Stomp for awhile - BUT they did some sort of “resolution” update to the sound that changed the game for me. Now I want the rack.
Line6 always made great stuff. People were just lazy and didn’t spend time getting to know the units and get the most out of them.
Helix is also the most user friend modeler out there
The line 6 helix was the best investment I ever made.
Haven’t played through a tube amp in 4 years.
Same
I have a Pod Go and my co guitarist has a Helix, we run them through Headrush speakers and it’s a game changer. Sound guys love it, and as an opening band it’s nice to have all the extra room after back lining lol. Welcome to the Line 6 fam 🤘
Headrush is the way to go for FRFR with the Line 6 stuff. That's what I use as well.
Bow does the pod go stack up against the helix tonally?
How*
@@lewiskeller93 they are the same tonally, but the Helix has more dsp power :)
I have the POD Go as well, go it so I didn’t have to spend the equivalent price on a pedal setup for my church rig and I can use it for so much more than just worship. Can’t beat it for the price and it rocks for recording since I can’t max out my amps to record in my bedroom
I love my helix. I play guitar at my church and if I want to play through a fender, I get my fender patch, if I want a vox, I get my vox patch. When I'm home, I play metal. I wouldn't be able to afford all of the amps that I would need. The helix is perfect for me.
Love my helix! Check out Jason Sadites channel for anything Helix related or Nick Hill. Those dudes are my go to guys for when I was learning to use my Helix.
Cool video!
Classic strawman against modelers = "you just tweak tones, never play"...
Well, I use literally 3 profiles with my Kemper... one distorted, one clean, one for bass...
It's all up to the user to decide for something and not get lost in "tweak hell"
Sold all of my expensive tube amps and gigantic pedalboard 6 months ago. Bought the helix and power and 212 plus. Took 2 hours to grasp a hold of it without resourcing a single instruction. Hands down best guitar decision I have made since the day I started playing.
Same man, the software is very intuitive I figured it very quickly without help. Most other modelers are a pain compared to helix.
Try the new Line 6 Plugins!
Metallurgy! They are so good right now!
I have an LT and love it! IR's will take you deeper down the rabbit hole. But if you have a preferred IR pack, it'll play quite well with your Helix.
Feel free to share any presets you dial in on Custom Tone or in the descriptions/comments! :)
Love my Helix....I've had Diezels and Marshalls and I have finally found my favourite gear. But you MUST get some IRs...the thing comes ALIVE and sounds a million times better...trust me! Ownhammer are really good....but my favourites came from Michael Britt...he has a pack of presets which are great.... probably not so useful for your sound but the IRs that come with it are amazing! I use mine with a Headrush FRFR speaker. Have a great time on tour mate!
I’ve had the LT since 2017 and have helix native as well. Fantastic stuff!
Great! The Helix is awesome!
Right on bro! Congratulations on your purchase. Have you tried using the computer app for the Helix? Its a bit easier to navigate and create tones. I currently have an hx effects unit and its rad. Its glitching on me at the moment and not usable so its off my board till I can figure out whats going on with it. Looks like I may have to do a firmware reinstall and if that doesn't work I may have to take it apart and check a connection ribbon thats been known to work loose. So if your Helix glitches out, don't panic or throw it to the curb. It may be a simple fix. Those things are powerful tools! I hope it does everything you need and more.
i got an FM3 as a present to myself after passing my flight paramedic exam a couple years ago and i have never play guitar as much as i have recently. i have a vintage fender deluxe reverb but to walk in a guitar store and look at pedals/amps and say “eh i have that at home” is crazy. not to mention it can process my piezo/electric guitars. modelers these days make so much more sense for players who want tone with portability.
Welcome to the Helix club 🤘 I got a LT nearly a year ago and it was a game changer. There's gonna be a lot of people interested in your custom tone's so get ready for that 😁 having gigged with a setup like the one you described I'd say get yourself a good holdall and rock the Helix on the road. Good luck with the tour and stay metal 🤘
It’s actually easier to create patches with hx edit on a computer. Were you using the bass octaver effect in the beginning?
congrats Ray and welcome to the Helix train! If you ever wanna collab on a video or need any help on it, hit me up!
Hell yeah man! That thing is crazy. I just got their PodGo Wireless which I know is a tiny microcosm of the Helix but it sounds really really great. I personally love getting nerdy with new gadget and gear so the learning curve was fun for me on the PodGo, but the lack of touchscreen is a bit of a negative for me as well. Glad to see you venturing out. Tone sounds legit via the sound demo! Have fun on tour buddy!
That opening tone made my ears giggle
This tube thing is rediculous. The ehx guy wrote an article over a yr ago about a tube shortage. There was no panic and people could still get tubes. This isn't new news. But he spoke about it again, TH-cam influencers got it and caused a panic buy frenzy. 2 weeks ago you could get tubes. Now every site is wiped out and some stopped sales. Remember TP Gate 2019? We were fine. Being said...solid choice on the Helix Ray. It's solid kit and great for a touring musician. I love my tube amps but would prefer them for recording and the Helix live. Cheers!
Happy NGD dude! That's awesome! I honestly pondered recently about getting either an HX Stomp or PodGo.
I've been exclusively digital since a bit after Covid hit, so I decided to roll the dice (pun intended) with something of a more all analog approach for direct to interface recording.
A Victory V4 "The Jack" preamp. It's completely blown my mind (and budget for a bit hahaha!)
Besides, I've had a longtime running love/hate relationship with Line 6 products that spans across literally decades of products like:
The first POD (Nope), the DL4 (absolute freakin' game changer of it's day IMO), an old Flextone 3 combo (meh), and a busted input 1x12 Spider III 50 watt combo a buddy found left out by an apartment dumpster that, after fixing and hearing the amp, I honestly wanted to go toss back into! Haha!
Although, this new Line 6 Metallurgy Doom plugin?!!!
Looks/Sounds seriously wicked AF!!!
The Helix stuff is Super Freakin' Solid though from what I hear, and also given the recent vacuum tube supply issue and it's subsequent stupid "panic buying" of tubes now going on?
I'd be more than inclined to say that not only have you just made an honest forward thinking touring investment, but one helluva good call for "road-dog" durability and overall venue tone consistency.
Definitely a smart move.
Sounds absolutely brutal too BTW! Haha!
\m/
It always has that artifical "fizzyness" on the high end as you can hear on the video....
Its possible to EQ that out but yeah thats why I stay away from modelers and stick with profilers.
Definitely possible to EQ that out. P90s exacerbate that fizz especially given the conditions (new owner, high gain, etc.)
That's why I have never pulled the trigger on these units
7K high cut and done. They're great units. You have to try and make things sound bad these days honestly.
Take a look at Sonic Drive Studio's A/B comparison between the Orange Rockerverb and the Helix model and see if you can tell the difference...
th-cam.com/video/K9XeFZ7sRgE/w-d-xo.html
I have an old Line6 POD XT-Live that I used to really like but, not so much anymore (I'll trade you for that Helix!). Have been thinking about getting a Helix but... I'm getting drawn to the BluGuitar Amp1 Iridium. It is a much smaller package than the Helix and it has a 100w power amp with a tube in it. It sounds incredible! No effects except reverb, but I generally don't like built-in effects, I like pedals.
Helix in my opinion IS the way to GO !
It's funny. I just sold mine to get the Kemper instead. You make the Helix sound great dude! You should try out some IRs. I've used to use Ownhammer IRs and York Audio IRs! Would make some interesting comparisons!
Use your tube amps as powerstages via EFX return, have a parallel Di. out with cabinet emulation to FOH, very powerful setup, makes bad FOH sound almost impossible (there are BAD soundguys out there...).
I just started running one with a powerstage 200 and a 2x12 orange. I still prefer my frfr for running lite weight, but there is something about a real cab.
Its probably best to play with the Helix at a rehearsal first (if possible) before you take it on the road with you. You mentioned using a solid state power amp, I have tried many and the SD Powerstage units sound best with the Helix. It has a great Treble/Mid/Bass EQ that helps shape the tone without having to tweak the Helix itself. If you want over the top greatness when using a real cabinet, use a tube power amp. I have the Mooer Tube Engine at 20w el84s and the KSR PA 50w el34. The KSR also takes 6L6s with a simple bias tweak in front of the unit and its about the size and weight of a lunch box amp. Of course you can always run the Helix in 4 cable method but that defeats the purpose of not having to lug around a tube amp. Try running the Helix in any tube amp loop return and you will see/hear the difference.
I was just thinking isn’t this Ray who went to Russo’s music in Philly? Yep it is him. I have the helix rack and the Kemper. I need a real pedal to help both with feel and sound. Not a chugger or heavy metal player. For now I’m going to continue enjoy my tube amps and a great pedal. I haven’t had them for more than about 8 yrs re my amps. I saved up for and waited til I deserved it so I think the tube shortage will be worked out through Mike Mathew’s from EHX and Western Electric. Someone could make a ton of dough making tubes here and not relying on a war criminal to make them. Yep and obviously hoping the war ends asap. If you plug in a diesel pedal into keys say a Friedman or Bogner it beats the modelers. Just picked up a quad cortex just in case the tubes do have to wait. Tbh the best overlooked double modeler is the Yamaha 100hd $800 new comes with power. Plug in and play thru a real cab. Cheers Ray. Stay safe.
Your tubes will be fine. If your amp goes down, it's probably not a tube issue. I still own my parents old zenith tube television from 1958. With original tubes. And they are fine.
If you amp goes down it usually is a tube lol
Agreed. My late Grandpa’s Super Reverb has tubes in it that must be 40 years old by now. Still works fine. I’ve changed out the large capacitors though.
I love my hx effects and hx stomp. can't beat the helix modelling
It wasn't a big deal for me to not have a tube while gigging..coz here in the phillipines, we are so used to floorboards/mfx coz for ease and can't afford a good amp and pedals way back(early 2000's).....so good to see the advancement of the fb/mfx now...it doesn't really matter...as long it sounds good and stable...
why not just run it though that head rush monitor for yourself on stage
I’ve been definitely thinking about that, I’m just not sure if it’ll be loud enough or if it’s durable enough to live in a trailer
Had my Helix for 4 years +...Wait till you get to doing snapshots...Super awesome.Learn the global eq Ray,very important...Congrats and you will fall in love with it my man...Many big,big bands have those babies behind the curtain...Much luck dude
Stick the Simple Pitch in block #1 to get the best tracking for it. Also don’t use the poly pitch capo over simple pitch. It’s doesn’t track as well and colors your tone.
These are 7 years old now, so at the time...touch screen just wasn't a demand like it may be now. I'm sure we're going to see a Helix 2 not too far from now. More DSP, touch screen, smaller in size. It's definitely coming.
I dont mind it not being touch screen.. but.. Type C Line 6! Still using those fragile printer usb.
just use the helix. I have a headrush and unless I am headlining, backlining and then have roadies will I go back to bringing my amps. You're better off making sound check and moving gear faster for you band especially if opening
i got my helix , love the sound with ownhammer irs
2 plus years enjoying my Helix setup.. I use it with with two power amps into 2 412's in a mono wet/dry setup. Monster tone... As for the IR'S and Cabs for recording. I went down the rabbit hole at first but seriously the stock cabs are quite good.
Hey me too. It just came in the mail. Looking forward to checking it out. Got the floor as well
Definitely prefer it as a pedalboard for a real amp (evh 5150 iii) but I wouldn't be upset going direct with it. You're the man, Ray!
I had an LT for a while and to be totally honest, it wasn't for me. It didn't sound anything like the real amps, despite what I heard in videos. It's one thing to hear it, it's another thing entirely to play it.
I've had the Helix LT for awhile but don't use it as much since I've gotten into Neural DSP plugins. I do think the Helix is great for people who tour, which I don't do. It has great amps and pedals. The Archetype is amazing.
Iv had my AX8 for about 3 years and never attempted to leard the on board settings. Just use the PC edit.
Been interested in the helix, kemper, axe fx tech for awhile. Are you able to run to amps simultaneously as a patch. Eg recto and slo100
My church uses line 6 helix’s for rhythm and lead I get some very nice tones from those things 😎
I’m surprised you didn’t go with the Quad Cortex. Touch screen and the soon promised plug in integration!
Line 6 is the Kia of effects processors. They were a cheap joke that had their niche for many years and then re-evaluated their whole company and made the correct changes and made modern gear for the modern player. Kudos to them. And they didnt need Blake Griffin to jump over it.
Here’s something you can do. Use a send 1 block in between the amp and cab so when you use a frfr or what ever the speaker doesn’t come through that. The helix world is very difficult at first but after you know what you are doing you get some crazy stuff out of it. Also to make it easier using the software on the computer really helps. Also a big one always back up your helix weekly and put it on a flash drive. You never know when it’ll come in handy.
I was gona get one of these but went with the headrush instead for its simplicity.. stay metal bro! 🤘
It will need upgrade.Real amp never needs upgrade and always is as good as 10 years back.But we are in a new times.We have to wait till some company starts doing what Russia is the best in..
I have the HX stomp - really good for the size (got it just before the prices went up).
Great little unit that you can throw into a backpack when flying…… took mine to Europe in 2018….
@@Bernz66 it's great. I'm using it with a 21000usb C Anker power bank (with a 9volt usb cable).
Right now, my girlfriend is using it for vocal effects, while I'm getting by with a boss katana 212 (also got that for a good deal).
@@LeeJoRo niiiiiiiiiicccceeeee!
@@Bernz66 still trying to figure out re-amping when connected to a DAW (I use cubase 12). That's the only thing I can't wrap my head around
@@LeeJoRo I use Helix Native, Guitar Rig 6 and Amplitube 5 Max for recording guitars…… I need to figure that out too……. I also use Cubase 12 Pro
When you get back, definitely check out Line 6's new Metallurgy collection, the quality and value is absolutely insane
Take your tube rig. Worst case scenario a tube goes and you use a spare, run out of spares and youve got a lineup of tube amps to pinch tubes from until supplies are good to go. With the one factory still producing tubes they will return...
The nastier the sound, the happier your face :D Awesome to see man, Rock on!
You can do your preset with half blocks, just add a split on your path 1 before the cab and voilà ^^
Sounds killer!
have a hx stomp xl and love it. I use it mostly for effects in front on my amps but I also play with the amp models on there from time to time. IR's really give it the extra lift. I just export them from the GGD studio cabs plugins.
I don't know it may be his settings but the gain sounds trebly and broken up like they always have. Not warm at all. It would be a sound man's nightmare
Man, I’ve been using my Helix for about 3,5 years now, still really happy with it.
I've owned my helix since 2017, best piece of gear I've ever owned, watch Jason Sadites videos on the Helix, He digs into every corner of the thing and explains it very well
Regarding your patch. You don't need to have 2 seperate paths. All you need to do is put a send block inbetween the amp and the cab.
Im a helix user and have been since about 2018. I found that it is wayyyyyy easier to navigate on the actual device over and Fractal products. I mainly edit patches from come computer then save everything to the helix. I hope you enjoy it! It's a great piece of gear!
Lack of touch screen kinda sucks but it's also another component you don't have to worry about breaking
I love my HX so much. Good grab
Congratulations! I always come back to my helix because it sounds great and really simplifies my rig! I hope yours inspires you as much as mine does 🤘
Im not a heavy death metal guy but excellent video. I'm more of a Steve Lukather fan
I think you should tour with the Kraken V4. They got plenty of tubes for those.
I traded my Gibson SG for a Helix LT (with cash, of course) just two weeks ago. Barely scratched the surface of what it could do.
It’s a fun little unit!
Hey ray how would you compare the helix to a Headrush pedalboard sound wise which one would you prefer or are they to close to call
The Helix as well what I am hearing is it is very articulate with how good the distortion sounds with chords and single notation. I know some floor modeling amps like those have a hard time with distortion. The Distortion on this amp sound really good.
You can't give it a negative if you don't read the manual - to be honest :)
The badonk and revv amps are killer!
"It took several hours to understand this thing" And that's why I steer clear from modelers, no hate, I just don't want to spend hours learning how to use it, and then god knows how long to program what I want. More power to those that jump into this stuff, it's just not for me!
I totally respect that some people prefer simplicity but a couple of hours to learn a modeler is pretty good compared to the 1000+ hours it took to learn how to play guitar. You can also make extremely easy patched with just an amp, cab some reverb and delay. This is how I use it and I am completely happy using it for basic needs.
One thing to be aware of when using the Helix live, be VERY wary of the power running to the stage. I was running a Helix live for a while cause I'm lazy and didn't want to carry my head and pedal board to gigs, I used Helix at 3 gigs, and at 2 of them there was questionable power on stage, leading to the Helix rebooting, meaning I had 20-30 seconds of dead air. Last gig I missed a part where I was supposed to be playing a guitar break on my own cause it was rebooting. After that I felt like I couldn't trust it. Granted it's more of an issue with house power than the Helix itself (it's a phenomenal unit) but I felt like I couldn't trust it after that. Just my two cents for what they're worth. Love your videos dude!
You could carry a battery backup surge protector like you'd plug your computer into.
My original comment seems to have gotten deleted. Perhaps because I tried to discreetly link a site that says what all the models are inside of the amp?
Anyway, I'd bet you'll come to love your Helix more as time goes on. A couple small tips would be to use the Precision Drive pedal model, Horizon Drive. Also try out the Badonk amp for high gain goodness. Also it's very documented that the cab models leave a bit to be desired. I recommend using IRs for any metal patch. After you've found your perfect pedal/amp/IR combo its all about getting those EQs set. It can seem intimidating, but after building a couple cool patches at the computer with HX Edit you might get hooked.
You can have it set to blacklist any website comments. Probably was automatic.
Get powered FRFR speakers as monitors and run straight to FOH
One word ray.... BADONK!
helix just looks like its magic, i love it
Sounds good. You’re a stand up guy Ray. Good luck on the tour.
I was just looking at these. But I'm old and new things scare me
The pod XD is still one of the best ..i use to hate these types of boards untill i really took the dive in.
good players can make a kazoo sound good. build up chops first then tweak sound. I just see too many players just want gear that make noise but they just cant play. Kinda like clout chasers for gear. plus you dont metal on p90s. shows you dont really know gear.
These aren’t P90’s. The irony
Liked my Helix, but LOVE my Kemper!
You're supposed to use HX Edit that's why lol
The trick to make the helix easy to use is connect to a pc it make making preset easier
That fucking balaguer is so sick though!!!
Hey Ray…quick, simple suggestion. If you need a small but effective power amp for that thing, give the electro harmonix 44 caliber a shot. I have one and still can’t believe it kept up with the engl savage and 5150 in rehearsal and live. I didn’t even have to come close to turning it all the way up. I was pairing it with an atomic aa12.
Hey thanks so much for the suggestion!
So much for your little headrush MX 5 lol! A little back story I actually tried out the headrush MX-5 after watching your video on it and the first one I got the touch screen did not work on it so I returned it and got a second one and that one had foot switching issues as well a few other issues so I had to send that one back as well.
Now I have the Boss GT-1000 which I just got recently and I love it! I had looked at the Helix as well but I have always had good luck with Boss products so I went with Boss.
They are very similar units and they both can just go direct into the P.A. with out needing any amps or cabs which makes touring and gigging so much easier especially as an opening act. There was also a bit of a learning curve with the Boss Gt-1000 as well but I think it is a little easier to program then the helix from what I have seen and heard.
I say take the helix on tour with you and make your life easy and simple out there and good luck with the tour as well look foward to seeing the video's from it!!
Yeah I broke my mx5 on tour so I’m obviously not gonna bring that haha
@@xanderraymondcharles well that sucks man!! I will say this I did like the ease of the touch screen but I prefer having to turn knobs in stead of a touch screen as I feel there are just to many things that can go wrong with it especially in a liver setting so I would day you are way better off with how the helix works. But ya the learning curve on these new multi effects pedals can really suck! I am like you I like to keep it simple.
those pickups sound heavy as fuck
I ordered the stomp xl recently 🤘🏼
Ray put some Bogrin Digital IR’s
On the Helix and turn off the Cabs! They Sound So Dope!
Good luck bro!!! I know how it can be with a new piece of gear that is not easy to work with (talking about my QC), but once you start to get the hang of it they are really worth their weight for sure 🤘🔥🔥🤘
Now you need a Shuriken Variax SR270! Such a Dope Combe for sick drop tunes!
It’s night and day from a regular guitar!