Helix Floor/LT/HX/Stomp/PodGo owners' Club - Tips, Ideas & Patches

[IanA]

After playing around and getting quite frustrated with the stock cabs/mics and also the Lancaster Audio SVT 810 IR I decided to invest in the Bergantino NXT212 IR…

So glad I did, it is so clear and accurate and so reminds me of back when I used to use a bass  amp and cab live. 
I have tried it with most of the amps on the Helix and have settled on the SVT4 Pro for now, they all sounded great though. I guess the beauty of the helix is that now I have a cab IR that I like, I can have a patch for each amp with it at a fraction of the cost of the real things… bargain😊

[Wombat]

Yes, for me the Bergantino IRs are the dogs doodahs! I like them paired with the GK but as IanA says the ability to have multiple amps and cabs at your disposal (and not lug around) is great!

[BassBus]

Can any of you knowledgeable people tell me if there is a way to do a MIDI program change for an external pedal with a snapshot. I know how to do it in a preset with Command Center but is there a way to do it in a snapshot?

Edited February 28, 2023 by BassBus

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, BassBus said:

Can any of you knowledgeable people tell me if there is a way to do a MIDI program change for an external pedal with a snapshot. I know how to do it in a preset with Command Center but is there a way to do it in a snapshot?

 

Looking at the manual, I would say so, as it includes Command Center in the set of items that is controlled in a snapshot. I haven't any experience of doing it, nor any MIDI-controlled pedals, so that's the extent of my knowledge.

[ratman]

It's pretty easy.

First select Snapshot 1. Go to Command centre and highlight 'Instant 1'. Change 'Command' to BankPC. Change 'MIDI Channel' to match the MIDI channel of the device you want to control. Then use the Page Right button to go to Command Centre Page 2. Change 'Program' to the PC value you want to send.

(If your Snapshot Edits are set to Discard in Global Settings, you then need to save the preset now)

Now select Snapshot 2. Go to the same instance and just change the 'Program' number to another PC value. (And save if needed)

Now select Snapshot 3. Go to the same instance and just change the 'Program' number to another PC value. (And save if needed)

 

That's it. Let me know if that worked ok for you.

 

[BassBus]

1 hour ago, ratman said:

It's pretty easy.

First select Snapshot 1. Go to Command centre and highlight 'Instant 1'. Change 'Command' to BankPC. Change 'MIDI Channel' to match the MIDI channel of the device you want to control. Then use the Page Right button to go to Command Centre Page 2. Change 'Program' to the PC value you want to send.

(If your Snapshot Edits are set to Discard in Global Settings, you then need to save the preset now)

Now select Snapshot 2. Go to the same instance and just change the 'Program' number to another PC value. (And save if needed)

Now select Snapshot 3. Go to the same instance and just change the 'Program' number to another PC value. (And save if needed)

 

That's it. Let me know if that worked ok for you.

 

Thank you very much ratman. Works like a dream. 👍👍👍

[acidbass]

I'm beginning to think that the 'Low and High Cut' EQ block is more or less essential to great tone with the Helix.  I have the Low Cut set at 50hz and the High Cut at 7khz and it makes the sound so much cleaner, especially before effects such as compressor and octave.  I use two 1x10 cabs for onstage monitoring and the drivers seem to work so much more efficiently because of the lack of boom and rumble.

 

To my mind, the EQ block works so much better than the Global EQ (at the cost of a block in the signal chain of course)

 

Does anyone know the specs of these blocks - i.e. how much rolloff per octave they offer?  Line 6 don't seem to specify this in the manuals and I can't find it on the forums.  I see pedals such as the Broughton HPF offering 12db reduction per octave and imagine it's something comparable, but would really like to know as it has become a key component of my tone and I'm a geek about these things

 

TIA

 

Danny

Edited March 30, 2023 by acidbass

[IanA]

42 minutes ago, acidbass said:

I'm beginning to think that the 'Low and High Cut' EQ block is more or less essential to great tone with the Helix.  I have the Low Cut set at 50hz and the High Cut at 7khz and it makes the sound so much cleaner, especially before effects such as compressor and octave.  I use two 1x10 cabs for onstage monitoring and the drivers seem to work so much more efficiently because of the lack of boom and rumble.

 

To my mind, the EQ block works so much better than the Global EQ (at the cost of a block in the signal chain of course)

 

Does anyone know the specs of these blocks - i.e. how much rolloff per octave they offer?  Line 6 don't seem to specify this in the manuals and I can't find it on the forums.  I see pedals such as the Broughton HPF offering 12db reduction per octave and imagine it's something comparable, but would really like to know as it has become a key component of my tone and I'm a geek about these things

 

TIA

 

Danny

I always use HPF and LPF with Helix both at home and live… set at 30hz and 7.5khz respectively. I may even move the HPF up to 40 now that I am only playing 4 string again…

I find LPF essential for keeping the mix clean especially when using synth bass and distortions where some of the higher frequencies can sound harsh and are very much in guitar/keys territory. I think the kick drum sounds much clearer and the room sounds a lot less boomy with the HPF engaged.

My understanding is that if you are using the HPF/LPF eq block the slopes are 12db/octave.

[Greg Edwards69]

I use both. I have a low/high cut per patch, with the low cut set to around 50hz which is the roll-off frequency of my FRFR speaker and our PA speakers (we don't have a sub ... yet) and the high cut around 4khz that bring it into typical bass cab territory.

 

The Global EQ is set to only affect my on stage FRFR and not the PA, so I can compensate for immediate environmental issues - such as 'one loud note' syndrome* which plagues certain venues but isn't noticed out front, and to prevent low end build up. I've been known to run the global eq low cut as high as 80-100hz in some places to tame the low end rumble.

 

Honestly, I think the global eq and routing is worth the admission price alone. It's one of the main things that made me buy a Helix, so much easier to control nuisance frequencies on cramped stages than a traditional bass amp

 

*Whilst I'm able to identify the frequency of several notes, I highly recommend keeping a Hertz chart on your phone to identify offending frequencies. An RTA can be helpful too if you struggle deciding whether it's fundamental from the harmonic.  This is one area that I think could be improved for us bassists. I'd love to see something like Bergantino's 'variable feedback filter' implemented into the global eq. This is more intuitive 'note-based' system that sweeps through notes names from E1 - G3 rather than having to recognise frequencies.

Edited March 30, 2023 by Greg Edwards69

[javi_bassist]

I set mine 35Hz and from 7kHZ to 10kHZ. And I really notice when it's off.

[javi_bassist]

2 minutes ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

The Global EQ is set to only affect my on stage FRFR and not the PA,

 

 

 

I didn't know you could do that!

[Greg Edwards69]

Just now, javi_bassist said:

 

I didn't know you could do that!

It's easy to do on the larger floor units, but I believe it can also be done on the stomp units by using the send output at the end of your signal path to FOH and the main output to your on stage speaker

[IanA]

Global eq adjustments are ok if you only use one instrument… if you play multiple instruments eg acoustic guitar bass and electric guitar then you are probably better off using an eq block instead.

[Greg Edwards69]

51 minutes ago, IanA said:

Global eq adjustments are ok if you only use one instrument… if you play multiple instruments eg acoustic guitar bass and electric guitar then you are probably better off using an eq block instead.

This is why I only use the global eq for environmental issues - compensating for 'lumpy acoustics' in different venues. Problematic frequencies would generally be the same for any instrument plugged into the same rig in the same venue.

 

Global EQ shouldn't really be used for tone shaping at all.

[tauzero]

A quick mention that there's a v3.52 HX Edit out. There's no firmware changes though.

[Skybone]

New POD Go Edit out as well.

[Wombat]

On 01/04/2023 at 02:00, tauzero said:

A quick mention that there's a v3.52 HX Edit out. There's no firmware changes though.

Yet….

[Wombat]

Can I ask where peeps put the low cut/high cut in the chain? At the end?

[IanA]

7 minutes ago, Wombat said:

Can I ask where peeps put the low cut/high cut in the chain? At the end?

I put mine at the end, seems to work well. 

[BigRedX]

Has there been a firmware up date since 3.5? I’m in the middle of a load of gigs and rehearsals and don’t want to change anything until I have plenty of time to fix stuff should it all go a bit wrong (IIRC one of the firmware updates reset all my global settings). However if it’s just a new version of the editor I’ll download it.

[tauzero]

Release notes for 3.51 and 3.52 both specifically say that there is no planned firmware update 3.51 or 3.52.

[BigRedX]

11 hours ago, tauzero said:

Release notes for 3.51 and 3.52 both specifically say that there is no planned firmware update 3.51 or 3.52.

 

Thanks. I'll download it before I do some programming tonight.

[Wombat]

Firmware 3.60 just released. We get…

Agua Sledge - based on* the Aguilar® Tone Hammer

&

Bass Cabs (Single and Dual versions)

1x12 Epicenter - captured from* a 1x12" Epifani® Ultralight series

4x10 Ampeg Pro - captured from* a 4x10" Ampeg®PR-410HLF
There is a ‘Dumble Clone’ that guitarists have been raving about too but I’ve not tried it myself…

[fretmeister]

Release notes

 

https://line6.com/support/page/kb/effects-controllers/helix/helix-360-release-notes-r1046/

 

 

[Greg Edwards69]

It’s also worth mentioning that 3.60 includes a Russian Big Muff model. This a crucial part of many Muse type bass tones. All I need now is an Animato model and a Prunes & Custard model and I’ll be very happy.