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Which Helix?


AlphaK

Which Line 6 Helix?  

53 members have voted

  1. 1. Which Helix model have you gone for?

    • Helix Floor or Rack
      6
    • Helix LT
      6
    • HX Effects
      12
    • HX Stomp
      28
    • HX Native
      0
    • I had a Floor / Rack / LT / Effects / Stomp but have moved it on
      1


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28 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

One thing to consider is that if you need to switch seamlessly between sounds mid-song then you really need to use snapshots rather than patches. You can't add or delete and blocks in a snapshot, only turn them on and off, or change the parameters. Therefore you need to make sure that your chosen Helix supports enough blocks within a patch for all the sound variations you need in a single song.

 

Ive still to try using snapshots, but you can assign the foot switches to alter various parameters for a certain block. I have one patch set up with 6 variations on the BDDI, just using one block. Some will also add in EQ from an EQ block. Admittedly this is overkill, but it shows how versatile the system is.

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10 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Ive still to try using snapshots, but you can assign the foot switches to alter various parameters for a certain block. I have one patch set up with 6 variations on the BDDI, just using one block. Some will also add in EQ from an EQ block. Admittedly this is overkill, but it shows how versatile the system is.

Snapshots are more versatile (provided that they aren't so complex that you run out of DSP power) in that they allow you to switch on and off multiple blocks simultaneously while altering the values of up to 64 parameters within those blocks.

So for instance I have a song patch where I have two basic sounds on two snapshots - one with a flanger and one without, but as well as turning the flanger block on and off the different snapshots also alter the compression, drive, EQ, and overall level settings to optimise each sound with the overall mix.

Edited by BigRedX
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5 minutes ago, bassfan said:

😳 I barely use 6. 😂 

I use about 40, but that's one patch per song for all the songs for 2 different bands. Including Snapshot variations I have about 100 sounds that I have programmed myself.

I also suspect (although I haven't tried it yet) that if you require the same patch in different set lists you will have to duplicate it each set list where it is needed.

Edited by BigRedX
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12 minutes ago, bassfan said:

😳 I barely use 6. 😂 

Haha! But the ability to have a patch per song in the running order of your set list is pretty cool / useful right? And then, in my case, banks of 4 effects (drives, octaves, modulation etc) and EQ settings separately set up will make this a breeze to use live. And that's just the HX Effects! 

Edited by Al Krow
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4 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Snapshots are more versatile (provided that they aren't so complex that you run out of DSP power) in that they allow you to switch on and off multiple blocks simultaneously while altering the values of up to 64 parameters within those blocks.

So for instance I have a song patch where I have two basic sounds on two snapshots - one with a flanger and one without, but as well as turning the flanger block on and off the different snapshots also alter the compression, drive, EQ, and overall level settings to optimise each sound with the overall mix.

They have their uses i guess, i just dont need that much control yet. I do prefer to treat the patch as a pedalboard though. I like the idea of turning things on and off as and when, but i do have a few 'hidden' blocks that get activated (or deactivated) when other blocks are used.

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1 minute ago, Al Krow said:

Haha! But the ability to have a patch per song in the running order of your set list is pretty cool / useful right? And then, in my case, a bank of 4 different effects (drive, octave) and EQ settings separately set up will make this a breeze to use live. And that's just the HX Effects! 

Exactly!

Just now, dave_bass5 said:

Assuming your running order doesn't changed, and you can remember where each patch is before the next song starts 😁

I don't bother with printed set lists any more. My patches are arranged (one per song) in the order that we are going to play them. I simply select the next patch to see what the next song is. Changing the set list order on the Helix takes about 30 seconds with the computer (I haven't tried it without).

Even if we change the running order at the last minute at the gig, all the sounds I need are in the same consecutive block of 25 or so patches, and therefore only a few footswitch taps away.

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Re: OP, I started with the LT. I bought the HX Effects wanting to downsize but I ended up missing some of the features of the LT, so went back to the larger board and sold the HX Effects. The HX is absolutely superb as is the HX Stomp (which I feel would work well if you have other pedals you love but still want a smaller board.)

I’ve owned a huge list of various rack and floor based processors over the last 25+ years or so and I have to say that I am most impressed with the Helix range.

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13 minutes ago, burno70 said:

That's it. To sweep aside the post election gloom I've ordered a HX Effects. Free next day delivery from Peach Guitars too. Cannot wait!

Well at least the £ is up to $1.33 from lows of $1.20 a few months back, so hopefully that is going to feed through into prices of some US pedals coming down by 10% next year. Fingers crossed!

I can't help but notice that while the Stomp owners are clearly in a majority, the HX Effects owners seem to be the most enthusiastic and that seems to be infectious with folk following this thread looking to buy e.g. both @Deedee and @burno70 have gone for the HX Effects. I read earlier this entirely down to @dave_bass5 being a bad influence ring leader!

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11 minutes ago, burno70 said:

Yup, I'm blaming Dave and Al.

Dont forget we are going Helix floor next year, start saving 🙂

The Stomp is pretty much everything you could want in a small box, but i just find the FX to be so well thought out for live use that i am really over the moon with it. I feel anything i want to do effects wise i now can, even though i dont want to at the moment. With my old eyes having those scribble strips and all the parameters for any of the effects all laid out across the screens has been a game changer. I just wish the foot switches were a bit further apart.

 

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Wondered if anyone else has seen this....

Using the kinky boost patch on the HXFX with my M Audio EX-P pedal adjusting the gain, I get distortion/crackling when I use the pedal to change the gain while a note is playing (it doesn't make the noise if the bass is silent). I wondered if it was an issue with the pedal, however I can get the same effect twiddling the boost knob, though as you can't move it quite as quickly as you can with the pedal it isn't quite as bad.

 

 

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1 minute ago, 41Hz said:

Wondered if anyone else has seen this....

Using the kinky boost patch on the HXFX with my M Audio EX-P pedal adjusting the gain, I get distortion/crackling when I use the pedal to change the gain while a note is playing (it doesn't make the noise if the bass is silent). I wondered if it was an issue with the pedal, however I can get the same effect twiddling the boost knob, though as you can't move it quite as quickly as you can with the pedal it isn't quite as bad.

 

 

Ah, here's the culprit for all these FX purchases lol.

Ive not had this, i dont have a pedal, but im guessing its normal. Have you got effects trails turned on? Wonder if that helps.

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