After using the Headrush for the past 4 years I have not experienced the negatives you talked out. I bought mine after watching Pete Thorn's review and i still love it.
I agree. Oddly, he's making a comment using a preset factory rig. Those presets SUCK! Watch the Anderton's video on this unit. Lee and Pete are disgusted by the presets. Yet, after 5 minutes, Lee makes a brand new, custom patch that is pristine. I've had my Headrush for awhile now, and only make my own rigs. I record with it all the time, and don't have these aliasing issues; even on long feedback, deep reverbs which would showcase the aliasing.
It will sound better than it does here, but still retains that cheapy meh sound. Can't quite nail it down, but it's not as "inspiring" to play thru...the features are pretty amazing, touch scrteen, tons of DSP, but the sound...nope...not even close.
Just got my Mx5, I'm a complete noob and have to admit I'm overloaded with all the effects. So far it honestly sounds nothing like the videos I've watched and I have no dount it's my own doing....by adjusting global eq, you mean with speakers? Mine through headphones sounds thin and garbled unfortunately. Thanks
@@erikjakobsson5128 have you played with effects chain? Global eq, you can add one to your effects chain. I hated this thing when I first got it, then began to play around with effects chain and watch “building a rig” videos by various people. Now I’ve spent several hours playing with it with proper sound sculpting direction and aftermarket IRs and looooooove it.
Have to say, I really liked that first tone (the ‘alias frequencies’ example) thought it sounded awesome. All depends on what you’re going for and personal taste. There’s something for everyone out there.
Did you happen to try the high gain amps out with some good IRs vs using the built in cab an mic sims? I have one of these and I absolutely love it, but only when I use my favorite V30 IR. Also, the input block has noise gate turned on by default, so that may have accounted for some of the odd artifacts as the sustain dies off.
My Mooer had a similar background, digital noise and I fixed it by using a better quality power supply than the one provided with the unit. That doesn't mean that its the case with your MX5, but it would be interesting to try it and maybe useful for others.
Before you " realize" how much the youtubers rely, you should at least, check out 3 different reviews from any product, and I mean reviews... This video here, is just an opinion, not a review.
@@TheStudioRats Hi,I have the Synergy SYN-50 and I’m looking at buying something small to use purely for effects,Delay,Reverb,Overdrive etc.I know you said this pedal isn’t good for high gain but effects wise to they sound good or would you still not buy this even for effect pedal purposes?.Thanks :-)
Interesting comments! I have one as a backup to my Fractal FM3 and I really like it for practice. So much that I sold my Kemper. Really easy to use and sounds pretty good to me. I only use aftermarket IRs which help quite a bit.
Spent some time with one that the shop had set up to run through a line 6 Powercab as monitor. Found it really easy to create patches but wasn’t too impressed with the speaker simulations. Swapped it around so Headrush cabs were disabled and used the Powercab modelling, sounded a lot better.
Did you check both your input/output signal on the Headrush to make sure you weren't in the yellow or red, clipping the internals on one or both?. Both have horizontal bar meters that have to be set for pickup output and overall rig output. Sounds like operator error. I've listened to most if not all the reviews of the Pedalboard, Gigboard and this MX5 and your the only one to have this problem or at least mention it.
Yep it sounded like high gain humbuckers overloading the input. No-one would release a product that sounded like that and every other review would have found it.
I have found this unit and it's unique tones to be very satisfying for overdriven slide tones .I am going to try recording some slide tracks tomorrow for the first time. I also have a vintage tube amp to try through a two Notes Torpedo .I have not noticed the negatives you pointed out but will be on the lookout for that. Be neat to compare the sounds ! One quick note is I traded my Stomp Pod Go in to get this unit. I also thought it sounded pretty good but being an old guy I found the Pod go very difficult to adjust on the fly. Thanks for your great review.
This is interesting, I am in the market for a looper/effects pedal. Glad I saw this, but one thing I can't help but wonder is... 1. Are you using a daw or are you going into a amp? A. If daw, did you readjust for latency based on this pedal B. If amp, are you running completely clean? If that's the case, should amp sim be off also? 2. Did you adjust the EQ in the rig based on what you are outputting to? 3. Did you make any of your own presets? 4. I'm sure the pickups in your guitar are passive, but just curious, are they active? Wouldn't want to assume.. This will definitely help me and others with a decision to purchase and would rather see a little more convincing detail spec wise with everything else you are using in this particular mix to prove out that it is a poor pedal and not user error on the heavier sounds you are complaining about. Look forward to your response, cheer's!
I have the pedalboard and carry the mx5 as a backup. We play casinos, theaters, larger clubs, large outdoor festivals, etc. One theater we played at, the stage manager said, "We had xxx in here last weekend and you got a better tone than he did in less than half the time." The unmemtioned person is a well known player around here and has an equally well-known affinity for his collection of tube amps.
I own this unit and haven’t ran into that yet. But, I do notice a difference between the “feel” of this and the helix. It would be great to do a Good, Bad, and Ugly with the Helix. I think this could be a really great series for your channel. Really refreshing to see the bad side of pedals as well as the good. Although, I would have liked to have heard some really high gain/metal good/bad comparison as well. Great video though! 👍🏻
The Helix feels terrible to me compared to the FM9, QC or the BOSS GT-1000. To me those three have the best feel. The GT would be the cat's pajamas if it had better effects and processing - and didn't look weird and had a nicer screen.
@@landon.cunningham Nita Strauss used a GT-1000 straight to FOH at a gig I attended. It had a completely AWFUL tone! I'd never use one of those. I've never used a Headrush but HAVE heard great demos. One of the best is by Brett Kingman. Also, I know of 2 pro touring/session/hired-gun guitarists that use the Headrush. However - if I had the cash I'd have an FM3, and/or a Quad Cortex.
@@ZzzzzzzxxxzzzYZ4 It sounds extremely bright because BOSS doesn't distort the lows as it should. Not to mention that some companies intentionally 'degrade' the sound before distorting it, because the real amp does that. BOSS distorts the 'raw' sound, and it ends up sounding too bright. I've tried all possible combinations of equalizer and pedals, and it has linear lows, while the mids and highs are heavily distorted. For certain types of amplifiers, this is good, but for anything high-gain, it sounds terrible." 4o
That kinda high frequency “shyew” sound on the Modern Plexi patch is honestly something I’ve always associated with dimed plexis. Johan Segeborn has many videos with crank marshalls that have that super intense high end character.
Yeah, I think people always tend to just think of certain artist’s recorded and produced sounds when they talk about the tone of Marshalls (or any amp for that matter). Real Plexis have a lot of treble on tap. Just listen to Hendrix’s Castles Made of Sand.
Having used both Headrush and Helix, I'd say Headrush amps sounded much more realistic and natural to my ears. Helix has more amps and effects though and also more usable blocks on screen (16 blocks on Helix vs 11 blocks for Headrush), so it's quality over quantity.
Most people use 3rd party IRs and delete the factory presets on a headrush. My gigboard is ace. My GT1, and 2 katanas are gathering dust since I bought the gigboard.
Paul, really appreciate the honest overview (pro’s and con’s). I didn’t see this as negative at all. You have always been a great educator when it comes to showing us how to dial in sounds. This was no different. Maybe the input noise gate was set to global and caused the sound to clamp and cause aliasing. It doesn’t matter because some of the sounds just aren’t there, which is often the case with a cost effective unit-does-all mu
Very good points that are from an electric guitar player's angle, I suppose. My main gig is acoustic stuff where I'm looking at units like this for touring and packing small, almost an "all in one" practical solution.
I own a kemper and hx stomp and this unit. I found that they all sound bad out of the box. The kemper being th worst. After putting Michael britts stuff in there the kemper sounds great and I find they all sound great. You just have to spend some time dialing in. And I found the mx5 being the one that has the most usable stock sounds.
I sold the Boss GT1000 and bought an MX5. Boss gt1000 has many, too many things to change and boss doesn't do updates. I know you love boss units, but they have many things that suck. (impulse response that sound terrible, embarrassing parametric equalizers, very very very noisy, amplifiers that they sound bad, always dull sound, etc
Exactly! High-gain amplifiers have a terrible artificial high end. The distortion sounds crude and linear. In this exact video of his, you can hear the more natural hum of the amplifier on the Headrush. Line6 and Tonex have a process that 'deteriorates' the sound, even in bypass mode, similar to real amplifiers. BOSS doesn't do this; it distorts the guitar sound exactly, bringing highs that sound like a toy. BOSS also can’t distort the lows like the MX5. When you add distortion, only the mids and highs get the drive. I sold my GX100 after doing a thousand tests with various plugins.
Regarding the IRs on the BOSS, I did several tests. The 44kHz IRs are not exactly the same as the 96kHz ones, even from the same brand, showing a significant difference in sound and volume. The BOSS doesn't support 96kHz. I’m absolutely sure of this due to the sound and volume differences of the IRs depending on the resolution. The Helix supports 2048 96kHz IRs, and this has more impact on the good sound than we think. The equalizers are TERRIBLE! The amp EQs work at the wrong frequencies, and the 10-band graphic EQ has an infinite 'Q', affecting neighboring frequencies in a way no other equipment does. The parametric EQ has fixed frequencies where you can adjust, which makes no sense at all, since it’s supposed to be parametric lol.
Yes. It's super easy as that. I use it as a 3 button stomp - wah / overdrive / boost. That actually gives me 3 sounds plus a booster, since the base sound with no wah or drive on is my clean sound, then I stomp a button to give me wah or drive, using the boost button for solos.
Before putting out bad video's of this unit, you should spend way more time getting into the headrush, the little ins and outs where you can actually go in and change frequencies etc. To many people putting out bad reviews on this unit without really getting to understand it. Really learn this unit. As for the touchscreen the only difference between the MX5 and thepedalboard that I've noticed is obviously it's smaller, but it is responsive. that part confused me, and never judge this thing off the stock rigs.. So many downloadable rigs out there that are far superior, some are even free and just go back to really learning it and creating your own rigs. It's a really good unit. I have the pedalboard but bought the Mx5 cause I travel a lot for work and be in a hotel room for weeks, this thing fits in my backpack and weighs less than laptop.. You can create really good cleans all the way crazy death metal growling distortions.. Whatever you can imagine you can create this. Oh and the expression pedal works great.
I think you are correct on the gain sounds if you play the factory presets which are all bad- if you tweak it and get a few IRs- it is a great little processor
I have quite a few IR's that I've purchased and I don't use any of them anymore. After owning the headrush( I have a pedalboard and mx5), I've really taken the time to really dive deep into everything you can do w/ this unit and I'm still learning new things.. But my better tones for cleans, blues and metal don't have IR's. You just have to really know how to get in and mix the right pedals/settings w/ the right amps and cabs and get those set up right w/ the right mic's and for metal I really spent a lot of time getting to really learn the graphic and Para Eq's. Makes a world of difference.
Zoom is great for the price. The G6 is all plastic though so not sure about road worthiness or durability. As with any multi effects unit you will have to tinker with it and dial in your own tones. I never tried the G6 but I used the G2 back in the day and I liked it.
Thanks for your video. But….So much more you can do with this…..Input gains, output gains, iRs, mic-ing and leveling. So much more than your showing to dial this unit in. Have a good one
Got one recently and yeah... the amps models where a bit of downer, you can still do a lot but if only they added the amp captures on mx5 and the other cheap models, this could be a really good option but as is, I ll probably end up selling it and getting something better
Could you please also do a review on the Line6 Helix vs Axe fx. I really wana see how good or bad is the helix compared to the axe fx 3 so that may have an idea on the two modellers to step up from helix to fractal. I miss the dynamic range and tone feel on the helix
I have no idea why you’re experiencing any of this. I have an axeFX 3 also and I use this just as much. I have no problems with getting amazing tones out of this device. I do use my own IRs though.
I bought one and am dealing with it. I agree there are some quite large variables between amp volumes, etc. and I think the Orange and Fender models are some of the best it has to offer. I often find myself having to use 2 of everything to get what I want, 2 compressors, 2 amps, 2 cabs, 2 reverbs, etc. That being said I believe you do get your moneys worth as it does have the processing power to be able to do that. My home rolled patches feel really good under the fingers too. I have the Katana MK2 100 also. They're both good, maybe each in they're own way.
You can't expect the presets to sound good on any multi effects modeling pedal. I've used ones from Digitech, Vox, Zoom, Line 6, Boss, and Mooer, they all needed adjusting to my pickups, amps, and speakers that were being used. Even if you're using the built-in amp's and cab's they'll sound different going into different pa systems!
Listen to ‘For the creator’ on TH-cam, if anyone thinking of getting this can construct the patches as he can, make it sound as he does and play like he can then $450 is beyond a bargain.
I myself just bought this unit after a lot of reviews and watching how it works I picked one up as well New after 2 days 16 hours of those 2 days trying to dialing something in on the ( Clean ) my Own (Rig ) Not factory presets ) I have to agree with the milliseconds lag when you strum a string know matter which one there is a alien like pause lag maybe something in the hardware assign from the factory not sure but I agree StudioRats there is lag I could not get a good sound out it
I used to have a headrush pedalboard which I loved and then I downsized to the gig board which I still loved. However then I got a helix and loved loved loved the helix. Then I got another headrush pedalboard because I was feeling nostalgic for it. However, since I had been so used to the better feel in the helix at that point.... I never bonded with the headrush pedalboard again once I had it. Now I play the quad cortex and love it. I don't think I will be going back to the headrush line ever again. My view on the headrush stuff: great for your first effects processor but it should be just a stepping stone on your way to something better/more refined.
Hey I just got one of these I'm used to using a fender toanmaster delux reverb. So far I cannot get a good clean fender amp sound out of this. I mean it sounds kind of like the amp but not the same as the m. I guess I'll keep playing with it. But it just sounds kind of solid state and cheap is my best way to describe it. My needs are pretty simple I just want to clean fender tone ,I have not found a good one
In your previous video with your friend James you said it feels good and it has low latency. now your saying you won't use it for recording!? and that aliasing sound was not present in the previous video :/
It's interesting - all these Headrush units are supposed to be the same. Yet, the biggest one seems to have the best perceptions from everyone. I remember thinking this too if you compare the Andertons videos - they loved the big on on multiple different videos - then on the latest with this smallest one hated it. But the are all the same, right? I'd be willing to be that though the rig power and processing may be the same - there is a difference in what's outputting the sound internally.
They should be compatible. With this unit it is pretty much drag and drop. Get the files, connect unit, drag, drop, eject, sync. Headrush made a great video on doing this.
Thanks! In all the demos of the Headrush Mx5 I’ve watched in TH-cam, the MX5 seems to reproduce well the warm Marshall sounds. The boss GX100 tones seem more harsh instead but I guess it’s just a matter of tweaking ?
I think he really missed a lot by not messing with the cabs/IRs owning a Headrush for over 3 years and almost everyone knows the stock sounds are rubbish. MS-30 to me though is the best sounding amp model.
I just got one for my beginner guitar playing daughter $50.00 off the regular price at an auction; like new condition; she says it is too much for her but she has not even watched any videos or try it yet; I wonder if she would keep it vs her 3 boss pedals she has so far' chorus, distortion and wah + regular pedal box and case...🤔
I heard this compared to helix and boss, it's not the same modeling as in the eleven rack, they reworked everything. I used a katana, I used tube amps and I can get realistic really pleasing sound from the gigboard. When I hear what kinda sounds you are getting from it, it sounds like shit. It must be a setting or something else. I dialed in a real realistic sound without the artificial sounds you where getting without any trouble. But what I heard from this demo sounds really bad. But to each his own, I couldn't get a nice sound from the katana which I used for a very long time and it just didn't grow on me.
I had the Eleven Rack, which this is based off, and that was 'okay' if you avoided the awful cab sim and went into a real amp but I was never really happy with it and I can hear some modulation going on in the sound still. I need to get my backside to a guitar shop though and play one.
Really appreciate the honest review mentioning the negatives. It's so hard to trust most gear reviews on TH-cam when most of them don't mention the negatives, or at least try to tiptoe around them.
yeah but every negative he mentioned can be easily fixed if you actually get to understand this unit. You can adjust the frequencies, the touch screen is very responsive, the expression pedal works great and there are a lot of places to download rigs and IR's onto this that opens a whole world of amazing tones
Paul you made me worried I am about to bite the bullet and buy Headrush Pedalboard and I have seen a lot of people saying it is better sounding than the helix. Also seen a lot of metal guitarist making top notch recording with Headrush Pedalboard…
@@jimtalltheislandbrothers6639 I now own both actually Headrush Pedalboard and Helix. I think Helix hx stomp XL which I have is insanely good. I found actually that thanks to desktop interface is easier for me to work with it. However they do sound similarly and it is matter of preference.
Thanks for the review! Could you clarify: have you noticed the same artifacts using an IR block with proper impulse responses instead of internal cabinets (which are very harsh, as I know)? I couldn't see any IR blocks in the rig presented in the video.
@@TheStudioRats Thank you. I've just checked aliasing in the Headrush, using the re-amping feature. I played a sine wave through various amps while registering the spectrum. All amp models have the same issue - aliasing (wrong additional harmonics) are very noticeable in the spectrum. So, CAB or IR - it doesn't matter, you're correct in your conclusions.
@@Kadehr any models, including low gain fenders. But it can bee seen better on Marshalls or on the Mesa. Frankly speaking, I cannot hear it by myself, but there is something related to aliasing in spectra.
Wel... If youre dialing different amps while you are in an specific preset the sound might be "bad" or odd. The variants are infinite, starting from the chain, the order of the pedals in the chain, is there a preamp section, mic, cabinet, mods before or after the cabinet etc etc.... The aproach should have been from a preset that fits the amp, or from scratch. This is a one sided opinion, not a review.
I think you might have missed that the unit has aliasing, I don’t really see how that can be a one sided review. Just because you own one it doesn’t mean you should be blinkered to any bad reviews. Also I’ve got nothing to gain from saying something isn’t good. I don’t see how this is anything but an unbiased review.
@@TheStudioRats sorry to disagree, but i stick to my words, this video is not a review, its an opinion. I mean, you have made a lot of great videos really dialing and reviewing stuff, dont get me wrong here, im just saying... It looks like an effortless video.
I have this unit and right out the gate your wrong about the high gain sounding digital. You also failed to mention that your using stock cab sims on it for your demo. There are after market custom cab IR’s built in that sound way better and realistic as cab IR’s do. Try them out before slamming the sound. P.S. the stock cab sims suck on all modelers including helix, quad coretex , kemper, headrush, axefx and any other unit. Line 6 has the absolute worst cab sims. So try a aftermarket custom ir there are some built into the mx5 and you’ll get a sound your looking for. Stop giving a bad revue on something you don’t like just because you don’t know what your doing with it.
For almost half the price and a similar small size, I’d instead go with the Boss GT-1 every day of the week. The only thing the Headrush does better in my opinion is the simpler menus and touchscreen. But in terms of sound and features for the money, the GT-1 crushes it.
The Headrush fx especially the mods / delays are stereo and sound absolutely fantastic (stereo phaser is just addictive), the GT1 is mono so I don't agree with you on that at all.
@@mc30052 Fair enough. It’s all subjective as everyone’s ears are different. Headrush and Helix do a nice job with their amp models, but to me their pedal effects all sound too digital and processed, whereas Boss pedal effects sound more like the original analog versions. IMO. So that’s why I prefer theirs so far.
I have one and much prefer it to say the pod go which I returned. I also don't hear the aliasing thing and it sounds way better going through my home setup than in your video...weird, I do agree it doesn't sound like the amps it pretends to be. I'll have to try the newer boss stuff to see what I might be missing. I do think its possible to nice tones out of this and some of the other features like the looper are worth a mention.
I take it you have one, that’s normally the reason for a comment like that. Listen it’s an opinion, although there are clear flaws in the unit. It matters none to me what you think I know or don’t know.
I got this unit a couple of weeks ago and I thought that I'm the only man in the universe who hears this ugly frequencies in palm muted high gain sound. All youtube reviewers are absolutely happy with this device. Finally I can hear some peace of the true. IRs won't fix this, you'll just get the same sound with another equalization. Very disappointed by the product. It's good only for clean tones and as an effects pedal. Best mx5 review, thank you!
I have bought a headrush mx5 and brought it to Brazil... 2 mouths of use it stopped working and they didn't pay me back... desapoited with Headhush.... I should buy a Hotone
Excellent video..There's somethign about the MX5 sounds cheap..very 2 Dimensional...The Pod Go sounded much better..too bad because the MX5 has some great features. Even with custom IR's (Ownhammer, etc..) The MX5 just sounds "Meh"...You nailed it in the first 2 minutes..it has this digital cheapy response and feel.. Bluguitar Iridium SMOKES it!! : )
@@steviesedge This unit and the gigboard are identical in sound and processing power. You created your own patches tailored to what you wanted, and I'm guessing you never use the poor patches that it came with, which is why it works for you. This vid was a bit of a letdown to be honest, not because it was negative, but because it seems incomplete. Would have preferred to see a some time spent building from scratch, rather than reviewing something based on the default unit sounds, or amps that haven't been EQ'd. The same goes for any MFX pedal. Shame.
@@steviesedge Like any board, regardless of price, always delete presets. Those are trash and not personalized, which is the most important thing. I thought this video would be helpful.
yes, I owned the gigboard and pretty much all the presets sounds dull. I've never tested the Hi gain amps, since I do prefer using clean/crunchy amps sim like Orange in a IR, and then kick in some distortions pedals when I want a dirty sound
![[Eng Sub] HEADRUSH MX5 Guitar processor](/img/n.gif)
After using the Headrush for the past 4 years I have not experienced the negatives you talked out. I bought mine after watching Pete Thorn's review and i still love it.
I agree. Oddly, he's making a comment using a preset factory rig. Those presets SUCK! Watch the Anderton's video on this unit. Lee and Pete are disgusted by the presets. Yet, after 5 minutes, Lee makes a brand new, custom patch that is pristine. I've had my Headrush for awhile now, and only make my own rigs. I record with it all the time, and don't have these aliasing issues; even on long feedback, deep reverbs which would showcase the aliasing.
Same here.
I also had min for about 4 years now and have not had any issues. Again my sounds are my own presets.
Are you sure there isn't a bit crusher in that patch. I can't see the video is to low quality
Youve picked it up a few times😭🤣🤣🤣
ditch the presets , make your own, get decent 3rd party ir files and adjust the global eq ... will sound like a different unit.
It will sound better than it does here, but still retains that cheapy meh sound. Can't quite nail it down, but it's not as "inspiring"
to play thru...the features are pretty amazing, touch scrteen, tons of DSP, but the sound...nope...not even close.
@@sb6232 Do you have one?
Just got my Mx5, I'm a complete noob and have to admit I'm overloaded with all the effects. So far it honestly sounds nothing like the videos I've watched and I have no dount it's my own doing....by adjusting global eq, you mean with speakers? Mine through headphones sounds thin and garbled unfortunately. Thanks
@@macbeth642 sounds like a “nope” to me 😂
@@erikjakobsson5128 have you played with effects chain? Global eq, you can add one to your effects chain. I hated this thing when I first got it, then began to play around with effects chain and watch “building a rig” videos by various people. Now I’ve spent several hours playing with it with proper sound sculpting direction and aftermarket IRs and looooooove it.
Have to say, I really liked that first tone (the ‘alias frequencies’ example) thought it sounded awesome. All depends on what you’re going for and personal taste. There’s something for everyone out there.
Did you happen to try the high gain amps out with some good IRs vs using the built in cab an mic sims? I have one of these and I absolutely love it, but only when I use my favorite V30 IR.
Also, the input block has noise gate turned on by default, so that may have accounted for some of the odd artifacts as the sustain dies off.
My Mooer had a similar background, digital noise and I fixed it by using a better quality power supply than the one provided with the unit. That doesn't mean that its the case with your MX5, but it would be interesting to try it and maybe useful for others.
It's so refreshing to hear a TH-cam review that lists negatives. Makes you realise how much TH-camrs rely on keeping brands on their side.
Cheers man, I was worried about releasing this vid as I don’t like to give negative reviews, but I felt it had to be said.
Seconded!
This comment is from 12 days ago, how is it ahead of what I posted today?... Have a few questions on your actual process of reviewing this product
Before you " realize" how much the youtubers rely, you should at least, check out 3 different reviews from any product, and I mean reviews... This video here, is just an opinion, not a review.
@@TheStudioRats Hi,I have the Synergy SYN-50 and I’m looking at buying something small to use purely for effects,Delay,Reverb,Overdrive etc.I know you said this pedal isn’t good for high gain but effects wise to they sound good or would you still not buy this even for effect pedal purposes?.Thanks :-)
Interesting comments! I have one as a backup to my Fractal FM3 and I really like it for practice. So much that I sold my Kemper. Really easy to use and sounds pretty good to me. I only use aftermarket IRs which help quite a bit.
Going for this too. Selling my Kemper, FM3 as main and this one as a backup/second unit.
Wow! I just did the same thing! FM3 main and this as back up and practice
Spent some time with one that the shop had set up to run through a line 6 Powercab as monitor. Found it really easy to create patches but wasn’t too impressed with the speaker simulations. Swapped it around so Headrush cabs were disabled and used the Powercab modelling, sounded a lot better.
Did you check both your input/output signal on the Headrush to make sure you weren't in the yellow or red, clipping the internals on one or both?. Both have horizontal bar meters that have to be set for pickup output and overall rig output. Sounds like operator error. I've listened to most if not all the reviews of the Pedalboard, Gigboard and this MX5 and your the only one to have this problem or at least mention it.
Yep it sounded like high gain humbuckers overloading the input. No-one would release a product that sounded like that and every other review would have found it.
I have found this unit and it's unique tones to be very satisfying for overdriven slide tones .I am going to try recording some slide tracks tomorrow for the first time. I also have a vintage tube amp to try through a two Notes Torpedo .I have not noticed the negatives you pointed out but will be on the lookout for that. Be neat to compare the sounds ! One quick note is I traded my Stomp Pod Go in to get this unit. I also thought it sounded pretty good but being an old guy I found the Pod go very difficult to adjust on the fly. Thanks for your great review.
This is interesting, I am in the market for a looper/effects pedal. Glad I saw this, but one thing I can't help but wonder is...
1. Are you using a daw or are you going into a amp?
A. If daw, did you readjust for latency based on this pedal
B. If amp, are you running completely clean? If that's the case, should amp sim be off also?
2. Did you adjust the EQ in the rig based on what you are outputting to?
3. Did you make any of your own presets?
4. I'm sure the pickups in your guitar are passive, but just curious, are they active? Wouldn't want to assume..
This will definitely help me and others with a decision to purchase and would rather see a little more convincing detail spec wise with everything else you are using in this particular mix to prove out that it is a poor pedal and not user error on the heavier sounds you are complaining about. Look forward to your response, cheer's!
following
following..
I have the pedalboard and carry the mx5 as a backup. We play casinos, theaters, larger clubs, large outdoor festivals, etc.
One theater we played at, the stage manager said, "We had xxx in here last weekend and you got a better tone than he did in less than half the time." The unmemtioned person is a well known player around here and has an equally well-known affinity for his collection of tube amps.
I own this unit and haven’t ran into that yet. But, I do notice a difference between the “feel” of this and the helix. It would be great to do a Good, Bad, and Ugly with the Helix. I think this could be a really great series for your channel. Really refreshing to see the bad side of pedals as well as the good. Although, I would have liked to have heard some really high gain/metal good/bad comparison as well. Great video though! 👍🏻
I have the Helix but am also tempted with the MX5. WhHat do you think are the benefits of the helix versus the MX5?
The Helix feels terrible to me compared to the FM9, QC or the BOSS GT-1000. To me those three have the best feel. The GT would be the cat's pajamas if it had better effects and processing - and didn't look weird and had a nicer screen.
@@landon.cunningham Nita Strauss used a GT-1000 straight to FOH at a gig I attended. It had a completely AWFUL tone! I'd never use one of those. I've never used a Headrush but HAVE heard great demos. One of the best is by Brett Kingman. Also, I know of 2 pro touring/session/hired-gun guitarists that use the Headrush. However - if I had the cash I'd have an FM3, and/or a Quad Cortex.
@@ZzzzzzzxxxzzzYZ4 It sounds extremely bright because BOSS doesn't distort the lows as it should. Not to mention that some companies intentionally 'degrade' the sound before distorting it, because the real amp does that. BOSS distorts the 'raw' sound, and it ends up sounding too bright. I've tried all possible combinations of equalizer and pedals, and it has linear lows, while the mids and highs are heavily distorted. For certain types of amplifiers, this is good, but for anything high-gain, it sounds terrible."
4o
That kinda high frequency “shyew” sound on the Modern Plexi patch is honestly something I’ve always associated with dimed plexis. Johan Segeborn has many videos with crank marshalls that have that super intense high end character.
Yeah, I think people always tend to just think of certain artist’s recorded and produced sounds when they talk about the tone of Marshalls (or any amp for that matter). Real Plexis have a lot of treble on tap. Just listen to Hendrix’s Castles Made of Sand.
Having used both Headrush and Helix, I'd say Headrush amps sounded much more realistic and natural to my ears. Helix has more amps and effects though and also more usable blocks on screen (16 blocks on Helix vs 11 blocks for Headrush), so it's quality over quantity.
Most people use 3rd party IRs and delete the factory presets on a headrush. My gigboard is ace. My GT1, and 2 katanas are gathering dust since I bought the gigboard.
Do you have any sound samples of user made metal presets on the mx5?
Same here, I sold my katana and bought a gigboard. The celestion ir's are stellar!
leon todd's free LT TV HIGH RES ir's are amazing on this unit
It's funny you are not very positive about it but it all sounds really good! 😊
I wonder if anything has changed or any update released from headrush side about the negative ones you stated?
Paul, really appreciate the honest overview (pro’s and con’s). I didn’t see this as negative at all. You have always been a great educator when it comes to showing us how to dial in sounds. This was no different. Maybe the input noise gate was set to global and caused the sound to clamp and cause aliasing. It doesn’t matter because some of the sounds just aren’t there, which is often the case with a cost effective unit-does-all mu
Thanks for your valuable impressions.👍👍
What amp are you plugging the MX5 into? What are we actually listening to?
Very good points that are from an electric guitar player's angle, I suppose. My main gig is acoustic stuff where I'm looking at units like this for touring and packing small, almost an "all in one" practical solution.
I own a kemper and hx stomp and this unit. I found that they all sound bad out of the box. The kemper being th worst. After putting Michael britts stuff in there the kemper sounds great and I find they all sound great. You just have to spend some time dialing in. And I found the mx5 being the one that has the most usable stock sounds.
You're the only reviewer to bring these issues up! Thank you! I'd love to hear what you thing of either of the Hotone Ampero multi-fx amp sim units.
Cheers Nexus. I’d like to try the AMPERO perhaps I’ll get in contact with them.
Never clicked a notificatiom so fast! Your videos are beautiful, short, concise, super precise, wonderful playing and professional. Thanks guys!
I sold the Boss GT1000 and bought an MX5. Boss gt1000 has many, too many things to change and boss doesn't do updates. I know you love boss units, but they have many things that suck. (impulse response that sound terrible, embarrassing parametric equalizers, very very very noisy, amplifiers that they sound bad, always dull sound, etc
Exactly! High-gain amplifiers have a terrible artificial high end. The distortion sounds crude and linear. In this exact video of his, you can hear the more natural hum of the amplifier on the Headrush. Line6 and Tonex have a process that 'deteriorates' the sound, even in bypass mode, similar to real amplifiers. BOSS doesn't do this; it distorts the guitar sound exactly, bringing highs that sound like a toy. BOSS also can’t distort the lows like the MX5. When you add distortion, only the mids and highs get the drive. I sold my GX100 after doing a thousand tests with various plugins.
Regarding the IRs on the BOSS, I did several tests. The 44kHz IRs are not exactly the same as the 96kHz ones, even from the same brand, showing a significant difference in sound and volume. The BOSS doesn't support 96kHz. I’m absolutely sure of this due to the sound and volume differences of the IRs depending on the resolution. The Helix supports 2048 96kHz IRs, and this has more impact on the good sound than we think. The equalizers are TERRIBLE! The amp EQs work at the wrong frequencies, and the 10-band graphic EQ has an infinite 'Q', affecting neighboring frequencies in a way no other equipment does. The parametric EQ has fixed frequencies where you can adjust, which makes no sense at all, since it’s supposed to be parametric lol.
Can I just use it as a stomp box? 1 as a heavy distortion, 2 as a creepy reverb and 3 as a solo effect?
Yes. It's super easy as that. I use it as a 3 button stomp - wah / overdrive / boost. That actually gives me 3 sounds plus a booster, since the base sound with no wah or drive on is my clean sound, then I stomp a button to give me wah or drive, using the boost button for solos.
Before putting out bad video's of this unit, you should spend way more time getting into the headrush, the little ins and outs where you can actually go in and change frequencies etc. To many people putting out bad reviews on this unit without really getting to understand it. Really learn this unit. As for the touchscreen the only difference between the MX5 and thepedalboard that I've noticed is obviously it's smaller, but it is responsive. that part confused me, and never judge this thing off the stock rigs.. So many downloadable rigs out there that are far superior, some are even free and just go back to really learning it and creating your own rigs. It's a really good unit. I have the pedalboard but bought the Mx5 cause I travel a lot for work and be in a hotel room for weeks, this thing fits in my backpack and weighs less than laptop.. You can create really good cleans all the way crazy death metal growling distortions.. Whatever you can imagine you can create this. Oh and the expression pedal works great.
"Crazy death metal growling distortions"...had me sold with that quote!🤘🤙
I think you are correct on the gain sounds if you play the factory presets which are all bad- if you tweak it and get a few IRs- it is a great little processor
I have quite a few IR's that I've purchased and I don't use any of them anymore. After owning the headrush( I have a pedalboard and mx5), I've really taken the time to really dive deep into everything you can do w/ this unit and I'm still learning new things.. But my better tones for cleans, blues and metal don't have IR's. You just have to really know how to get in and mix the right pedals/settings w/ the right amps and cabs and get those set up right w/ the right mic's and for metal I really spent a lot of time getting to really learn the graphic and Para Eq's. Makes a world of difference.
How about NOT using the amp modeling, and just using the effects?
Hi Paul, I was thinking of getting a Zoom G6. Have you heard anything positive about them. Thanks 😊 . Enjoying the Channel !
Zoom is great for the price. The G6 is all plastic though so not sure about road worthiness or durability. As with any multi effects unit you will have to tinker with it and dial in your own tones. I never tried the G6 but I used the G2 back in the day and I liked it.
Does it have compression?
Thanks for your video. But….So much more you can do with this…..Input gains, output gains, iRs, mic-ing and leveling. So much more than your showing to dial this unit in. Have a good one
Got one recently and yeah... the amps models where a bit of downer, you can still do a lot but if only they added the amp captures on mx5 and the other cheap models, this could be a really good option but as is, I ll probably end up selling it and getting something better
Could you please also do a review on the Line6 Helix vs Axe fx. I really wana see how good or bad is the helix compared to the axe fx 3 so that may have an idea on the two modellers to step up from helix to fractal. I miss the dynamic range and tone feel on the helix
I have no idea why you’re experiencing any of this. I have an axeFX 3 also and I use this just as much. I have no problems with getting amazing tones out of this device. I do use my own IRs though.
I bought one and am dealing with it. I agree there are some quite large variables between amp volumes, etc. and I think the Orange and Fender models are some of the best it has to offer. I often find myself having to use 2 of everything to get what I want, 2 compressors, 2 amps, 2 cabs, 2 reverbs, etc. That being said I believe you do get your moneys worth as it does have the processing power to be able to do that. My home rolled patches feel really good under the fingers too. I have the Katana MK2 100 also. They're both good, maybe each in they're own way.
You can't expect the presets to sound good on any multi effects modeling pedal. I've used ones from Digitech, Vox, Zoom, Line 6, Boss, and Mooer, they all needed adjusting to my pickups, amps, and speakers that were being used. Even if you're using the built-in amp's and cab's they'll sound different going into different pa systems!
Listen to ‘For the creator’ on TH-cam, if anyone thinking of getting this can construct the patches as he can, make it sound as he does and play like he can then $450 is beyond a bargain.
Haven't heard about that channel before. Thanks for the suggestion!
Does the Core suffer the same issue?
Any interest in doing a similar review of the nux mg-30? Have they sent you one to review?
I’d be happy to but no I haven’t been sent one
I myself just bought this unit after a lot of reviews and watching how it works I picked one up as well New after 2 days 16 hours of those 2 days trying to dialing something in on the ( Clean ) my Own (Rig ) Not factory presets )
I have to agree with the milliseconds lag when you strum a string know matter which one there is a alien like pause lag maybe something in the hardware assign from the factory not sure but I agree StudioRats there is lag I could not get a good sound out it
Can you make Line 6 POD Go review?
I used to have a headrush pedalboard which I loved and then I downsized to the gig board which I still loved. However then I got a helix and loved loved loved the helix. Then I got another headrush pedalboard because I was feeling nostalgic for it. However, since I had been so used to the better feel in the helix at that point.... I never bonded with the headrush pedalboard again once I had it. Now I play the quad cortex and love it. I don't think I will be going back to the headrush line ever again. My view on the headrush stuff: great for your first effects processor but it should be just a stepping stone on your way to something better/more refined.
What do you own now?
@@Nick-dz4ml I have a neural dsp quad cortex now
@@iann8733 nice but a bit pricier... Do you have any recommendations in the 500ish range?
@@Nick-dz4ml I'd recommend a boss katana mk2 combo amp.
@@Nick-dz4ml I used to have a boss katana mk1 head and loved it. Very very tube like tones coming out of a solid state/digital piece of gear.
Me compré una mx5..y la verdad estoy contento...buen video
Hey I just got one of these I'm used to using a fender toanmaster delux reverb. So far I cannot get a good clean fender amp sound out of this. I mean it sounds kind of like the amp but not the same as the m. I guess I'll keep playing with it. But it just sounds kind of solid state and cheap is my best way to describe it. My needs are pretty simple I just want to clean fender tone ,I have not found a good one
In your previous video with your friend James you said it feels good and it has low latency. now your saying you won't use it for recording!?
and that aliasing sound was not present in the previous video :/
The firmware updates have really improved the MX5
Most honest review I’ve heard of this unit so far
So, you think that is a review....
It used to be the BOSS that had the digital noise up in the high end
Have you tried the ampero 2
It's interesting - all these Headrush units are supposed to be the same. Yet, the biggest one seems to have the best perceptions from everyone. I remember thinking this too if you compare the Andertons videos - they loved the big on on multiple different videos - then on the latest with this smallest one hated it. But the are all the same, right?
I'd be willing to be that though the rig power and processing may be the same - there is a difference in what's outputting the sound internally.
Can I use tone examples people have presented on an older headrush pedalboard and put them on an mx5 headrush?
They should be compatible. With this unit it is pretty much drag and drop. Get the files, connect unit, drag, drop, eject, sync. Headrush made a great video on doing this.
Thanks Paul. It is pretty much like I thought. I wanted to love it, but it needs some serious work before it is ready for Prime Time.
I'd love to see you guys check out on of the Ampero family of processors. Their new one is about to be released.
So a really good price to sound bad?
In terms of sound do you think the gx100 sounds better ?
much better
Thanks! In all the demos of the Headrush Mx5 I’ve watched in TH-cam, the MX5 seems to reproduce well the warm Marshall sounds.
The boss GX100 tones seem more harsh instead but I guess it’s just a matter of tweaking ?
I think he really missed a lot by not messing with the cabs/IRs owning a Headrush for over 3 years and almost everyone knows the stock sounds are rubbish. MS-30 to me though is the best sounding amp model.
I just got one for my beginner guitar playing daughter $50.00 off the regular price at an auction; like new condition; she says it is too much for her but she has not even watched any videos or try it yet; I wonder if she would keep it vs her 3 boss pedals she has so far' chorus, distortion and wah + regular pedal box and case...🤔
I heard this compared to helix and boss, it's not the same modeling as in the eleven rack, they reworked everything. I used a katana, I used tube amps and I can get realistic really pleasing sound from the gigboard. When I hear what kinda sounds you are getting from it, it sounds like shit. It must be a setting or something else. I dialed in a real realistic sound without the artificial sounds you where getting without any trouble. But what I heard from this demo sounds really bad. But to each his own, I couldn't get a nice sound from the katana which I used for a very long time and it just didn't grow on me.
I had the Eleven Rack, which this is based off, and that was 'okay' if you avoided the awful cab sim and went into a real amp but I was never really happy with it and I can hear some modulation going on in the sound still. I need to get my backside to a guitar shop though and play one.
Really appreciate the honest review mentioning the negatives. It's so hard to trust most gear reviews on TH-cam when most of them don't mention the negatives, or at least try to tiptoe around them.
yeah but every negative he mentioned can be easily fixed if you actually get to understand this unit. You can adjust the frequencies, the touch screen is very responsive, the expression pedal works great and there are a lot of places to download rigs and IR's onto this that opens a whole world of amazing tones
Poor review. In this review you only look at presets. You're not even use IR's. This is not a Line6 pod!
Paul you made me worried I am about to bite the bullet and buy Headrush Pedalboard and I have seen a lot of people saying it is better sounding than the helix. Also seen a lot of metal guitarist making top notch recording with Headrush Pedalboard…
Headrush in my opinion is better than Helix. No regrets
@@jimtalltheislandbrothers6639 I now own both actually Headrush Pedalboard and Helix. I think Helix hx stomp XL which I have is insanely good. I found actually that thanks to desktop interface is easier for me to work with it. However they do sound similarly and it is matter of preference.
Please do make a review like this one with Nux Mg30 aswell 🎸🙌🏻❤️
Thanks for the review!
Could you clarify: have you noticed the same artifacts using an IR block with proper impulse responses instead of internal cabinets (which are very harsh, as I know)?
I couldn't see any IR blocks in the rig presented in the video.
I haven’t tried it with irs this is just the inbuilt cabs
@@TheStudioRats Thank you. I've just checked aliasing in the Headrush, using the re-amping feature. I played a sine wave through various amps while registering the spectrum. All amp models have the same issue - aliasing (wrong additional harmonics) are very noticeable in the spectrum. So, CAB or IR - it doesn't matter, you're correct in your conclusions.
@@ArcanumA on which model did you do your tests?
@@Kadehr any models, including low gain fenders. But it can bee seen better on Marshalls or on the Mesa. Frankly speaking, I cannot hear it by myself, but there is something related to aliasing in spectra.
@@ArcanumA did y'all deactivate the noise gate function before doing these tests?
It’s not good or bad, it’s honest. Thank you.
Sounds like someone got the ol nudge from Boss. 🤔
I don’t want to be offensive but you don’t know how to dial it… before you post a video to point the pros and cons learn the device a little more…
Wel... If youre dialing different amps while you are in an specific preset the sound might be "bad" or odd.
The variants are infinite, starting from the chain, the order of the pedals in the chain, is there a preamp section, mic, cabinet, mods before or after the cabinet etc etc....
The aproach should have been from a preset that fits the amp, or from scratch.
This is a one sided opinion, not a review.
I think you might have missed that the unit has aliasing, I don’t really see how that can be a one sided review. Just because you own one it doesn’t mean you should be blinkered to any bad reviews. Also I’ve got nothing to gain from saying something isn’t good. I don’t see how this is anything but an unbiased review.
@@TheStudioRats sorry to disagree, but i stick to my words, this video is not a review, its an opinion.
I mean, you have made a lot of great videos really dialing and reviewing stuff, dont get me wrong here, im just saying... It looks like an effortless video.
Thx for the great info. I never use it on high gain
Love 50s armchair Paul. I'd park and riff in that.
Do you work for Boss?
No
There all the same amps. Just been adjusted by the factory. Ill stick will my valve beast .but good video.
I have this unit and right out the gate your wrong about the high gain sounding digital. You also failed to mention that your using stock cab sims on it for your demo. There are after market custom cab IR’s built in that sound way better and realistic as cab IR’s do. Try them out before slamming the sound. P.S. the stock cab sims suck on all modelers including helix, quad coretex , kemper, headrush, axefx and any other unit. Line 6 has the absolute worst cab sims. So try a aftermarket custom ir there are some built into the mx5 and you’ll get a sound your looking for. Stop giving a bad revue on something you don’t like just because you don’t know what your doing with it.
Will line6 podgo do better than this?!!
use headrush speaker please.
For almost half the price and a similar small size, I’d instead go with the Boss GT-1 every day of the week. The only thing the Headrush does better in my opinion is the simpler menus and touchscreen. But in terms of sound and features for the money, the GT-1 crushes it.
The Headrush fx especially the mods / delays are stereo and sound absolutely fantastic (stereo phaser is just addictive), the GT1 is mono so I don't agree with you on that at all.
Boss effects are boring imo
@@mc30052 Fair enough. It’s all subjective as everyone’s ears are different. Headrush and Helix do a nice job with their amp models, but to me their pedal effects all sound too digital and processed, whereas Boss pedal effects sound more like the original analog versions. IMO. So that’s why I prefer theirs so far.
I have one and much prefer it to say the pod go which I returned. I also don't hear the aliasing thing and it sounds way better going through my home setup than in your video...weird, I do agree it doesn't sound like the amps it pretends to be. I'll have to try the newer boss stuff to see what I might be missing. I do think its possible to nice tones out of this and some of the other features like the looper are worth a mention.
One big disadvantage! You can't connect it to your pc to edit presets. That's a deal breaker for me! Also I don't like the small footpedal!
Nice jumper!!!
It’s looking - you do not know what you talking about.
Looking?
@@TheStudioRats I am sorry, Mr.teacher - it shoukd be: it seems that.
I take it you have one, that’s normally the reason for a comment like that. Listen it’s an opinion, although there are clear flaws in the unit. It matters none to me what you think I know or don’t know.
Multi effects. Sorry hit the button too soon.
This thing sounds like gt6 in my ears
I got this unit a couple of weeks ago and I thought that I'm the only man in the universe who hears this ugly frequencies in palm muted high gain sound. All youtube reviewers are absolutely happy with this device. Finally I can hear some peace of the true. IRs won't fix this, you'll just get the same sound with another equalization. Very disappointed by the product. It's good only for clean tones and as an effects pedal. Best mx5 review, thank you!
I have bought a headrush mx5 and brought it to Brazil... 2 mouths of use it stopped working and they didn't pay me back... desapoited with Headhush.... I should buy a Hotone
A plexi does that same thing.
Older dsp is an issue.
Cheap works for me.
I bet James gave the one thumb down… LOL
Yeah, you're probably right, Mutt Lange. For me is still a good option for home, cheap recording.
Excellent video..There's somethign about the MX5 sounds cheap..very 2 Dimensional...The Pod Go sounded much better..too bad because the MX5 has some great features. Even with custom IR's (Ownhammer, etc..) The MX5 just sounds "Meh"...You nailed it in the first 2 minutes..it has this digital cheapy response and feel.. Bluguitar Iridium SMOKES it!! : )
You complain a lot! hahahaha
When something should be better yes.
Sounds very digital to me..
The donner stage 1000 for 259 is far far better imo.
For £400 you could get a used Gigboard.
It's exactly the same as far as sounds and processing go. Hardware and modeling is the same in all three Headrush units, just different housing.
@@DarioRubilovic my gigboard sounded much better than this demo.
I did use third party irs though
@@steviesedge This unit and the gigboard are identical in sound and processing power. You created your own patches tailored to what you wanted, and I'm guessing you never use the poor patches that it came with, which is why it works for you.
This vid was a bit of a letdown to be honest, not because it was negative, but because it seems incomplete. Would have preferred to see a some time spent building from scratch, rather than reviewing something based on the default unit sounds, or amps that haven't been EQ'd. The same goes for any MFX pedal. Shame.
@@steviesedge Like any board, regardless of price, always delete presets. Those are trash and not personalized, which is the most important thing. I thought this video would be helpful.
yes, I owned the gigboard and pretty much all the presets sounds dull. I've never tested the Hi gain amps, since I do prefer using clean/crunchy amps sim like Orange in a IR, and then kick in some distortions pedals when I want a dirty sound