I'm pleased to say that no headphones were harmed in listening to this video. And what a great way to use the Helix as a diagnostic tool! Also, it sounds like you and your RevStar are getting along quite well. Thanks for taking the time, Jason.
Very useful in getting an idea of the general characteristics for each pedal. I particularly liked the Amp gain tone. I need to use that more, before adding a pedal. Thanks
Jason, I know you are a stock cab guy, but I recently purchased some Ownhammer IR's and think you would really dig them. I'm like you and generally like a darker tone, and am really liking the OH's and think you would too.
Great video! I am learning so much from this series. Can’t wait to see the video on fuzz pedals. Fuzz can be SO tricky to dial in, based on guitar, amp, etc. Really looking forward to learning how you dial in the fuzz pedals. Thanks Jason!
Very good demo. Really a big help for those who tend get confused when trying to get a workable distortion tone. Clearly demonstrates why you and I prefer amp distortion. LOL
Thanks so much Jerry :-) Yeah, it is funny, after doing the comparison I said to myself that I will likely just continue using the amp distortion for the most part..lol
Nice demo...I like scenario two as well; you might have shown how the ODs react when turning the guitar down. It's always easier to dial the amp in, then turn down the guitar to clean it up (long-lost art IMO). To my ear the Minotaur, Valve Driver, and TS808 sounded the best to me. The Compulsive Drive (OCD) sounds more like a hot-rodded Marshall tone to my ears.
Jason, love your videos man. Could you please eventually do a fuzz comparison like you did here for the overdrives? I'm definitely a player that has played with a number of fuzz pedals over the years, as I was always a fan of progressive rock, alternative rock, and shoegaze, and I always found fuzz as a better way to boost or drive the sound for those genres (at least in my own music). I don't own a Helix yet, but will likely be picking up one soon, and would love to see your comparisons and tips for the different fuzz options Line 6 has put into the Helix. Keep up the great work, man!
Great that you did both setups. The way I have it set up is that I either have a Timmy acting as a higher-gain overdrive pedal on a Soldano clean channel, or a Minotaur or Scream808 driving the OD channel of the Soldano as more of a boost, with the drive all the way down. What I would suggest looking at is EQ pedals as boost pedals with tone control. Hitting the front end of an amp with an MXR 10-Band EQ with the level control way up, gives you really fine-tuned control as to what your pickups sound like. Combine that with an OD pedal and you're in tone heaven.
I used a Peavey amp in a recording situation & was clean at low volume but had great break up when I solo'd. I like my real OCD but don't use Compulsive to emulate. Thanx again for your videos.
Great demo. This has shown me how the Amp’s overdrive is less saturated than OD pedals. I actually prefer amp being high gain vs OD as there’s less harsh harmonics in the high gain only. Agree and have also found myself that Minotaur and TS808 sound better to me.
Absolutely great video Jason and very interesting , now it’s really got me re thinking my jam pedalboard set up currently using stomp mode I really need to get into using snapshots
I think the best part of the Helix is the flexibility to take either approach, or even do BOTH in the same patch with Snapshots. Every amp will be a bit different but this was a good look into some of the character that each of these pedals offer. And man, that Minotaur just rips for leads. I use it in all my patches for that very reason. Definitely want to try out the Timmy model a bit more now.
Btw, I'd love to see a video in this series comparing all of the different microphone models. Maybe stick to one of the amp and cab combos you're most used to and cycle through to compare and contrast what they all sound like and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Keep up the good work as always!
Hi Jason, very interesting and educational videos, watching some of them really helped me a lot understanding the helix better =). Since I did not see all of them I'd like to know if you talked about on how to properly level and gain stage all of your user created patches, how the levels of the different blocks affect each other and the output signal, and if not, do you plan to discuss this topic in the future? Thank you for the great work and greetings =)
Thank you and my pleasure :-) I am not totally sure what you mean by gain staging of the blocks. I have not had too many problems with internal clipping. As far as final output level, it really depends on what your destination will be.
This is a great vid to help distinguish the different characters of the range of overdrive pedals - particularly identifying those which have a prominent mid boost from those which are more transparent. Really helpful, thanks. I would like to make a couple of suggestions if I may - firstly, the delay for me got in the way of listening to the core tone of the sound. And secondly, I see a tendency with (male) guitar players to play lots of notes close together, almost as if to show how fast they can play. My problem with that is it leaves little time for the notes to decay and reveal the true tone of the overdrive, or amp, or whatever is being demonstrated. Lots of fast notes together can hide and mask the real character of drive sounds, whereas longer held notes with vibrato and sustain, or chords which are allowed to resonate and ring out, allow the listener to hear the actual tone of the sound. Just a couple small points and I offer them in the spirit of enthusiasm and support, and really appreciate the time & effort you put into these videos.
Hi Jason. This is the first time I've seen any of your vids. The first thing I thought is that your voice sounds like Dave Mustaine's! :-) (great vid by the way, thank you!)
I have always preferred amp distortion over pedals even way back in the 80's, when I and pretty much everybody in my area were playing through solid state Ampegs. Still feel the same now. Even with the Helix sims, I like the amp distortions better than any of the pedals
The marshall is a mid boosted amp (compared to a Fender), which is why mid-boosting pedals, such as the OCD and Tube Screamer, tend to be too much and very harsh. Transparent pedals, such as the Minotaur and Valve driver, will work better with Marshalls in general, but of course it also depends on you guitar, pickups etc. There is a great article on this subject here: www.gilmourish.com/?p=7115 But one question for you Jason: You said that you would only use pedals when the amp is pushed to max.... Does that mean that you would never use a pedal to give sustain or tone to a an overdriven amp not taken to the max?
I am not sure I was that adamant that I would ONLY ever use OD pedals when the amp was pushed to the max. I would never count out using a pedal for different situations but just prefer amp distortion.
Ok - and I agree on your view. I must say I have gotten to like amp distortion more and more getting to know the Helix, and with the snapshots its easy to control and setup. I guess that lack of easy control possibilities with just a push on a button in the "real" amp situation is the reason why many has preferred pedals in a clean/breaked up channel.
I forgot to mention, James Hetfield has an extensive amp collection. He'll bring 60 or more amps to a studio session, have them all warming up in another room, and just pick those amps that give him the characteristics he's looking for, whether it be overtones, distortion, compression, whatever. Fortunately, with the Helix, we can get close to that without having to spend a ton of dough plus hire a roadie and a tech!
I'm finding certain drive pedals work or don't work with certain amps, as in the real world. I fear the choice of Plexi may have masked the eccentricities of certain pedals. I use a Stupor on my Lonestar but hate it on most of my other patches. I use a Valve Driver in some situations where a TS808 doesn't work, and vice versa. This was a good survey, but anything more detailed would almost have to fall into the Dialing In series.
I really appreciate your tutorials, but that silly reverb on a talking voice is so annoying. Maybe it's just your room. Then you would really need to acoustically optimize it.
I'm pleased to say that no headphones were harmed in listening to this video. And what a great way to use the Helix as a diagnostic tool!
Also, it sounds like you and your RevStar are getting along quite well.
Thanks for taking the time, Jason.
Haha, yes I thought it was a fun comparison! I am enjoying the Revstar!
My pleasure and thanks for watching :-)
Very useful in getting an idea of the general characteristics for each pedal. I particularly liked the Amp gain tone. I need to use that more, before adding a pedal. Thanks
The Placater Clean with a Minotaur in front of it has become one of my go to's
Nice combination :-)
Jason, I know you are a stock cab guy, but I recently purchased some Ownhammer IR's and think you would really dig them. I'm like you and generally like a darker tone, and am really liking the OH's and think you would too.
Great video! I am learning so much from this series. Can’t wait to see the video on fuzz pedals. Fuzz can be SO tricky to dial in, based on guitar, amp, etc. Really looking forward to learning how you dial in the fuzz pedals. Thanks Jason!
Thank you so much Dan :-) Really glad you are enjoying the series....hope to get to some Fuzz pedals in the near future!
Very good demo. Really a big help for those who tend get confused when trying to get a workable distortion tone. Clearly demonstrates why you and I prefer amp distortion. LOL
Thanks so much Jerry :-) Yeah, it is funny, after doing the comparison I said to myself that I will likely just continue using the amp distortion for the most part..lol
Nice demo...I like scenario two as well; you might have shown how the ODs react when turning the guitar down. It's always easier to dial the amp in, then turn down the guitar to clean it up (long-lost art IMO). To my ear the Minotaur, Valve Driver, and TS808 sounded the best to me. The Compulsive Drive (OCD) sounds more like a hot-rodded Marshall tone to my ears.
Thank so much B.B :-) I totally agree the whole volume control thing is a lost art! I also agree about the OCD...not my fav of them by any means!
Jason, love your videos man. Could you please eventually do a fuzz comparison like you did here for the overdrives? I'm definitely a player that has played with a number of fuzz pedals over the years, as I was always a fan of progressive rock, alternative rock, and shoegaze, and I always found fuzz as a better way to boost or drive the sound for those genres (at least in my own music). I don't own a Helix yet, but will likely be picking up one soon, and would love to see your comparisons and tips for the different fuzz options Line 6 has put into the Helix. Keep up the great work, man!
Thank so much LDK :-) I am most certainly planning on getting to the Fuzz pedals!
Great that you did both setups. The way I have it set up is that I either have a Timmy acting as a higher-gain overdrive pedal on a Soldano clean channel, or a Minotaur or Scream808 driving the OD channel of the Soldano as more of a boost, with the drive all the way down. What I would suggest looking at is EQ pedals as boost pedals with tone control. Hitting the front end of an amp with an MXR 10-Band EQ with the level control way up, gives you really fine-tuned control as to what your pickups sound like. Combine that with an OD pedal and you're in tone heaven.
Thanks Andi :-) Yes an eq used in that way is an excellent approach! Thanks for the comment!
After seeing this I agree that I prefer the amp’s drive over the pedals. Good video, thanks.
Thanks and my pleasure :-)
Fantastic video as always, would love to see a similar video featuring the treble booster from the latest up date
Thanks so much Benson :-) I will likely get that in there at a future date!
I used a Peavey amp in a recording situation & was clean at low volume but had great break up when I solo'd. I like my real OCD but don't use Compulsive to emulate. Thanx again for your videos.
My pleasure and thank you :-)
Great demo. This has shown me how the Amp’s overdrive is less saturated than OD pedals. I actually prefer amp being high gain vs OD as there’s less harsh harmonics in the high gain only. Agree and have also found myself that Minotaur and TS808 sound better to me.
Thank you :-) Yes I agree, I do prefer the amp gain also!
Good observation I noticed that as well. I can think of one preset in particular that I would like to try this with.
Absolutely great video Jason and very interesting , now it’s really got me re thinking my jam pedalboard set up currently using stomp mode I really need to get into using snapshots
Thank you so much Alan :-) I really enjoy using snapshots!
I think the best part of the Helix is the flexibility to take either approach, or even do BOTH in the same patch with Snapshots. Every amp will be a bit different but this was a good look into some of the character that each of these pedals offer. And man, that Minotaur just rips for leads. I use it in all my patches for that very reason. Definitely want to try out the Timmy model a bit more now.
SO true, the flexibility is amazing :-) I totally agree about the Minotaur!
Btw, I'd love to see a video in this series comparing all of the different microphone models. Maybe stick to one of the amp and cab combos you're most used to and cycle through to compare and contrast what they all sound like and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Keep up the good work as always!
Hi Jason, very interesting and educational videos, watching some of them really helped me a lot understanding the helix better =). Since I did not see all of them I'd like to know if you talked about on how to properly level and gain stage all of your user created patches, how the levels of the different blocks affect each other and the output signal, and if not, do you plan to discuss this topic in the future? Thank you for the great work and greetings =)
Thank you and my pleasure :-) I am not totally sure what you mean by gain staging of the blocks. I have not had too many problems with internal clipping. As far as final output level, it really depends on what your destination will be.
Great demo. Thanks
Thank you so much :-)
This is a great vid to help distinguish the different characters of the range of overdrive pedals - particularly identifying those which have a prominent mid boost from those which are more transparent. Really helpful, thanks. I would like to make a couple of suggestions if I may - firstly, the delay for me got in the way of listening to the core tone of the sound. And secondly, I see a tendency with (male) guitar players to play lots of notes close together, almost as if to show how fast they can play. My problem with that is it leaves little time for the notes to decay and reveal the true tone of the overdrive, or amp, or whatever is being demonstrated. Lots of fast notes together can hide and mask the real character of drive sounds, whereas longer held notes with vibrato and sustain, or chords which are allowed to resonate and ring out, allow the listener to hear the actual tone of the sound. Just a couple small points and I offer them in the spirit of enthusiasm and support, and really appreciate the time & effort you put into these videos.
Thanks and glad you liked the video Ian :-)
What kind of Delay did you use for these presets? And what is the bpm/ms of delay time settings?
Hi Jason. This is the first time I've seen any of your vids. The first thing I thought is that your voice sounds like Dave Mustaine's! :-) (great vid by the way, thank you!)
Thank you so much Scott :-) It is funny somebody else said the Mustaine thing to me before..haha
I have always preferred amp distortion over pedals even way back in the 80's, when I and pretty much everybody in my area were playing through solid state Ampegs. Still feel the same now. Even with the Helix sims, I like the amp distortions better than any of the pedals
Yes, I as well as I mentioned in the video.
The marshall is a mid boosted amp (compared to a Fender), which is why mid-boosting pedals, such as the OCD and Tube Screamer, tend to be too much and very harsh. Transparent pedals, such as the Minotaur and Valve driver, will work better with Marshalls in general, but of course it also depends on you guitar, pickups etc. There is a great article on this subject here: www.gilmourish.com/?p=7115
But one question for you Jason: You said that you would only use pedals when the amp is pushed to max.... Does that mean that you would never use a pedal to give sustain or tone to a an overdriven amp not taken to the max?
I am not sure I was that adamant that I would ONLY ever use OD pedals when the amp was pushed to the max. I would never count out using a pedal for different situations but just prefer amp distortion.
Ok - and I agree on your view. I must say I have gotten to like amp distortion more and more getting to know the Helix, and with the snapshots its easy to control and setup. I guess that lack of easy control possibilities with just a push on a button in the "real" amp situation is the reason why many has preferred pedals in a clean/breaked up channel.
Different characteristics but very subtle to my ear.
Yup very true Jerry..and given more time and tweaking they could probably be made to sound very similar.
I forgot to mention, James Hetfield has an extensive amp collection. He'll bring 60 or more amps to a studio session, have them all warming up in another room, and just pick those amps that give him the characteristics he's looking for, whether it be overtones, distortion, compression, whatever. Fortunately, with the Helix, we can get close to that without having to spend a ton of dough plus hire a roadie and a tech!
So amazing to have what we have at our disposal in the Helix :-)
It's too bad James Hetfield has all those amps and has to use them for Metallica.
I wouldn’t mind seeing this type of comparison between the other effects types....as much as you probably hate to hear that :)
It could happen Mike :-) Just need to find the time!
What software is this?
It is HX Edit.
I'm finding certain drive pedals work or don't work with certain amps, as in the real world. I fear the choice of Plexi may have masked the eccentricities of certain pedals. I use a Stupor on my Lonestar but hate it on most of my other patches. I use a Valve Driver in some situations where a TS808 doesn't work, and vice versa. This was a good survey, but anything more detailed would almost have to fall into the Dialing In series.
Very true that certain pedals work better with different amps. Only had so much time to get this all together so just more of a quick comparison :-)
Those Revstars are a lot of guitar for the money!
All sounded the same to me.
I really appreciate your tutorials, but that silly reverb on a talking voice is so annoying. Maybe it's just your room. Then you would really need to acoustically optimize it.