You'd probably say the same if somebody gave you an original Fairchild Compressor.

 

I've tried pretty much every amp simulation plugin that exist, with the exact same rig as I tried Helix, so either it requires a really specific rig to sound good, or it just doesn't. It sounds pretty much like Guitar Rig 2 from 2006, except it uses waaaaaaay more resources.

All the free amp sims from LePou, Ignite, and TSE.

Maybe. I have to mention that I'm not a "free plugins are just as good!" freak. I like commercial plugins and think the best amp sims are commercial. I just mentioned that free plugins can do a better job than Helix to illustrate its quality.

 

i don't say that helix is a crap, i only say that it's not like the solid competitor that they say to be

 

and don't forget the cpu consumption, it's no like mercuriall spark but....

 

wow amazing. is this what they really say is ground breaking ? jesus christ. this thing sounds exactly like podfarm, even the free podfarm can sound the same. s-gear destroys it tone wise. nothing special here. i had a strange feeling when they released the helix floorboard, it sounded nothing like the kemper or axe fx. i think even ik amplitube old versions are way better than this.

 

Calm down honey, I was just asking. Not everyone knows the exact release date of everything.

Wouldn't be the first nor the last time things are cracked the same day of release anyway.

 

Where did i wrote crap?

 

Have to agree here: the Ignite Emissary is easily way better than the Helix. Can't say much about TSE as I really despise the real 5150/6505 (except vor the EVH this is fantastic) and would never use those amps. As for LePou: it's en par (some better here, some better there). Guitar Rig however...is worse than anything by L6. I wouldn't even use Guitar Rig when I had my X3 Live..

Spend several hours with it now and while L6 really got the overall hang of crunch and breakup tones with the Helix the Higain sounds are still the same as they were with earlier stuff. The Rectifier isn't even close to any Rectifiers I've heard or used irl or simulated and it still behaves differently. Their own creations are all better than their modelled Higain-amps imho. It's not bad but the competition is now racing in Formula 1 while this is still a feeder series. The Helix is a huge leap forward overall especially since you can throw in your preferred IRs. As I wrote in the NAMM-thread: I've owned several PODs, Vetta...etc. and the Helix is undoubtfully better than anything before that and if nothing else woudl've happened it would be amazing. But other stuff happened. axe and Kemper on the hardware side and Thermionik, Amplitube, Revalver, TH3...and more in the software realm. I wouldn't hesitate to use it live but spending 400 bucks on the software? Nope.

When L6 announced the Helix (pedal) I was really hyped. I've always loved their stuff and all the demos sounded like a big improvement. Then ("a lot" later tbh) I was able to check it out myself and it sounded good until I switched to HiGain...and now that I've tried it with my favorite IRs it's still the same verdict so it wasn't their cabs. I guess they would have to start from scratch and that's not going to happen unless Yamaha throws a ton of money at them. At least the FX is still great so you always get 2 in 1: multi-fx + backup if you buy the hardware.

 

Yet there is lots of people leaving Kemper and Axe for Helix
Also many videos shows it sounds very similar to those 2 units except some modern high gain sounds there Helix sounds a bit brighter and sterile but a good IR and some tweaking can get it more close to both Axe and Kemper not to mention a real amp wich NO amspim have master to mimic exactly yet..

So if you use IR instad of built in cabs and put some HP/LP filters after the IR it sounds way better remember i speaking of the hardware.
I own a Pod XT and had own Pod HD and they dont sound like Helix far from it so before you say that statement try it for more than 3 min

Helix has a steep learning curve and so does Axe and Kemper also its funny as i see people saying the same thing as you said in Kemper and Axe forums
They try it a little while and they think it sounds crap..

As far as the Helix plugin goes i dont know?
I haven't tried it yet but they say it sounds the same as the hardware.

I really dont like S-gear i like TH3 and Revalver much more and i like Bias and Amplitube they sounds good (but not Amplitube v3 i still have it installed on my HD) i never liked Guitar Rig
And i.m.o non of them sounds as good as my Helix does but it took me some time to get the tones i had to built it from scratch not go thrue a bunch of presets.

Here is some good sounds now before you look at the answers plz guess but haters will of course look first and then make a silly comment )

http://www.sinmix.pl/2017/07/13/peavey6505-vs-line6-helix-vs-kemper-vs-tse-x50-mix-comparison/

 

Last edited: Aug 18, 2017

I haven't tried the demo yet since I'm on tour and I don't want to waste the 15-day trial, but I can say that I'm certainly disappointed judging by your comments

The hardware Helix has received very good reviews overall, and I thought I could finally have a replacement for S-Gear, which still has only 5 amps since 2011 and seems to not care for modern tones.

Guess I was wrong


EDIT: I stil think the Kemper is unrivalled in terms of realism. The first time I listened to this clip I was shocked at how identical it sounded to the actual amp (which I've had for ten years) playing it live:

 

If you want modern tones try Kazrog.

I wish Kemper would change their design to something that doesn't look like a Soviet radio from the 60's.

 

I have Thermionik, but all amps sound quite similar and it's quite fiddly. I don't like neither the GUI nor the workflow they imply. Recabinet 4 was much better for me in that regard.

It seems S-Gear will still be holding it's crown for a while.

 

I don't know whether it sounds good or not as I haven't tried it yet, but experienced users are saying it sounds exactly like the Helix hardware. These guys who own the hardware also said don't use the presets, it's better to build your sounds from scratch. Read some other guitar forums to get some tips.

I love my Kemper it's really good, but I'm always curious about new stuff, so hopefully I will try it one of these days after my reamping cable arrives.

 

Last edited: Aug 18, 2017

Thank you for this tip.

 

i tried the demo last night but i didnt like it,i will give it another shoot but right now im happy with my AX8.

 

Tried the demo also and had PodFarm 2 on another track.
I was not impress at all with Helix as I was able to match pretty similar sounds from PodFarm and even better ones.
This is a guitar amp sim and I want buttons to turn not sliders.
Also, I did not like the interface at all it's counter intuitive.
No categories for amps or fx and did not find a search function for presets?!?..it's a big melting pot.
All in all I won't be buying it and at that price 399.$ us. it's a no go for me and I predict it won't be a big success for line6/Yamaha.

 

it sounds pretty good after a long testing i have to admit

 

Finally somebody has gone past a 5 minute run through of the presets and dug in to find the power of this app. I had the same issue with the Helix Rack. Ran through the presets and was underwhelmed. I'm not a guitarist, but I also own a Variax. I have these tools in my home studio for the use of guitarists to dissuade them from bringing in Marshall stacks. In the hands of good players, choosing the right guitar and matching amps, cabs FX and mics can deliver astounding results. But don't expect plug and play.

 

i found that hybrit from lepou is really close to the line 6 jcm 800 amp sim... hybrit is a free plugin...

 

Lol. You think the 5150 sounds bad? First gen 5150s are the same as EVH ones. The 5150 is extremely well regarded for tone. I even have a Rockmaster pre.