Last edited: Aug 21, 2017

Did you WATCH the videos i posted?
Apparently its YOU that is the problem not the plugin since people can get great sounding sounds that is up there with Axe and Kemper sonically.

When i bought Helix "floor" i was dissapointed too at first.
But since i had seen many people getting amazing tone from it i wondered why cant i get it.

So i started to LEARN how to create sounds on it it needs some "global" tweaking as it is a unit that is suppose to work on many different setups thats why its loaded with inputs and outputs so i first needed to adjust those for my studio setup i guess its not the same in the plugin but as far as i know they will sound pretty similar to eachother if you have a good audiointerface with good AD/DA.

Anyway i had some time to test it before i had to return it so i started to build sound from scratch it got way better but it wasnt until i started to use third party IR it become real great.

As for the 5150 amp yeah i dont like that amp in Helix either but i have read that with the new EVH IR from Ownhammers Heavy Hitters II it finally sounds like it should.

I use the PRS & MKIV & Fatality & Badonk for high gain stuff i was never happy with the Engl (I tried the real one) and the Bogners (Which i never have tried and even heard i.r.l)

As for the more "standard sound" i use the 2204 mod or Soldano (boy is that one close to how a real Soldano sounds) for the modded "Marshall" character and the Park for old Marshall 70,s (Think AC/DC) rythm sounds and Litigathor and Matchless for that edge of breakup toneand i use mostly Ownhammers IR,s for those.

As for clean you cant go wrong with a Roland but i tend to use the PRS and MKIV clean channel also

As for the amplisting no bla bla in the list you must now that Helix is only at firmware 2.1.1 compare that to Axe FX which is on firmware 30 something
So new firmware is gonna come all the time.
Last year i think it was 4 updates and if it wasnt for the release of Native this year many more would have come so far it has only been one update in Feb they added some bass amps and some delay effects and a synth..

Firmware 2.30 coming soon which will be free

I dont think hmm "hope" they will start to charge for updates like they did with the Pod stuff.

Anyway many many users including me is saying they gonna sell their unit if they do so
And it also might not want new users to buy it or make the switch from kemper or Axe so i don't think they will charge for updates.

Every update have improvement of existing stuff (Yeah they fix how the amp.s is sounding and really listen to users nowadays at Line 6 so if lots of people complain they try to fix those "errors" believe me i have complained about the High Gain amps and so have others but since more people use the more "standard" amps like Vox & Fender i guess they choosed to fix those issues first)
So for what i have read on TGP they have fixed some issues with Fender and Vox amps i dont use those so i don't really know and can conmfirm this statement but the people at Line 6 said they will improve all amps at every update

And they fix bugs (If you ever tried the floor unit you would know how many function it has like snapshots, touch sensitive footswitches, editing on the fly no need to bend over to change some parameters etc etc so that must require lots of coding and of course some bugs)

The rumour say 2.30 is gonna have 5 new amps and 7 effects and they are working on 2.50 maybe even 3.0 already they say it takes atleast a month to code one amp i dont know how many who is working with it but then you need testing so it works on everything now included the Native software and seemles integration between Native the editor and the Hardware units it's not easy.

Anyway i think Helix will only be better and better with time it seems more guys also selling their Kempers and Axe and switch Helix so if those units where so much better why on earth would they do that?

Line 6 try to make Helix something anyone can use not just Metal guys or whatever style you play.
Therefore it is so funny to read someone saying i can't get a good clean on the Helix but thew high gain isawesome and another guy is saying i can get good clean but high gain sound sucks

Well if you are LIMITED to one sound only it might not be for you as the price is so high and you might be better off with a real amp instead but if you like me need many different sounds it is pretty ok (remember i speak of the floor unit here not native) but then again i havent heard a digital unit sound as good as a real amp yet and that goes for Axe & Kemper aswell thats why i keep my half stack atleast for now but it only have to channels so i't very limited for my needs.

Anyway i have all the plugins available in my PC and i.m.o noone come close to Helix sonically some is on pair but noone is better

 

Last edited: Sep 8, 2017

Yet people can get really good sound out of them so much that when people ask what they use they can't believe it 's a line 6 product.
So it's probably YOU that is the problem not Line 6 remember it's over 90% in the fingers not the gear but maybe you don't play guitar?

 

Last edited: Sep 8, 2017

Until they update pod farm platinum 2 I will no longer invest in Line 6

 

Hers is some samples on how Helix sounds in the right hands and with right IR,s
https://soundcloud.com/mediumplayer

And here is Helix Native and OH IR on a heavy song with a STRAT ??? what did he think? Well it worked as always it's in the fingers not the gear imagine that song with a humbucker guitar.

B.t.w Jon has plenty of videos with Helix that sounds amazing

 

lmao @ writing all that shit to convince consumers that THEY are the problem and not the mediocre product. I'm sure THAT'S really going to convince me.

brb gonna spend 400 bucks for a tone that I could get for free.

But no, wait a second, it's all in the fingers! so I don't even need an ampsim or an expensive guitar, I could just hit a mic with my fingers!

btw I do play guitar. Maybe you haven't ever plugged in to a real tube amp?

 

Last edited: Sep 9, 2017

For $400 why do the built in cabs suck?

 

Dont ask me why i don't know and i don't use Native i have the floor unit whic b.t.w i use with 4CM to my amp i have some stuff loaded in the loops (there are 4 loops in Helix) and it is connected to my audiointerface its sort of a hub in my studio i can control pretty much everything even start stop my Daw with it when i record by pressing a footswitch.

I think however when they design Helix they went for a hybrid cab version to save DSP so users don't get out DSP mess like they do in AX8 when they build rigs,

IR is very DSP hungry

If they would have choosen a more powerful chip like the ones in AXE FX II the Helix would have cost alot more

They went for the same chip as in AX8 (Well AX8 went for the same chip as Helix as Heliux come first) and that unit get DSP mess if you load to many blocks.
Well so does Helix but since they have 2 serial signal paths and you can also have a pararell path under that path so basically you have 4 signal paths that way you can save lot's of DSP by cleverly put your blocks on the right path.

Native is more or less Helix in a computer they also speak to eachother seemlessly (for what i know i haven't tested it yet but it should do so when Helix is connected to the computer via USB)

So if they would have going for a different route with Native or design it different and have gone for say IR only and no stock hybrid cabs it might have failed to communicate with the hardware now this is just me guessing i might be wrong.

However you can get a decent sound out of the stock cabs aswell but you are very limited to a few mics (the Royer and the Heil) and you also need to put a HP/LP filter directly after the cab

However i recently saw a video where some dude had set the filter to 80/5000 and it sounded pretty good just by loading the amp/cab blocks and no tweaking at all.

Haven't tried that yet but i'm gonna do that today.

My guess for the high price is that you get free updates with new amps and effects now compare that to other ampsim where you have to pay for extra stuff and sometimes also updates.

 

Last edited: Sep 10, 2017

Not worth 400$ for sure. I find that i can use it for a sort of "Wall of digital noise early nine inch nails" type of sounds but that's it. You can get a very small range of usable tones from it, all the amps sound a bit the same. And the best you can get out of it does not specifically sound bad, but it does sound flat and lifeless and like early digital plugins. For around 400 bucks you can get something like a blues jr which will be night and day fucking difference. I doubt i would be using this even for free.

 

Tried it briefly. Not bad, but not up to S-Gear levels so why bother. Plenty of different tones but overall sounds kinda flat.

Best amp is the Archon for sure. The package and features is indeed very nice but not 400$ nice. Maybe 200$ would have made more sense.

 

i Still prefer POD FARM

 

Agree w/ most (all) of the crit. Honestly, ~Omnisphere price? WTF. I'm prepared to give it a chance, just in case user error. It's pretty meh (browsing presets) compared to even rly old ampsims. But it looks really gorgeous & has a very very easy to use UI. Best thing about it! Sounds better using IR, but that part (loading / using IRs) is needlessly annoying. They rly want u to use their (limited) stuff, it seems.

Yeah, ditto. it's great to have the mix'n'match approach as well, so useful. Not that it's the 1st ampsim I go to or anythn.

 

I like to bash line6, because they are better at marketing than most ;)
I only considered swapping my VOX TOnelab LE when i heard POD HD (first time i heard DYNAMIC from Line6). And it was several years later compared to VOX. Finally, i kept my TLE.

But back to the subject :
Helix upgraded dynamic, from HD. There is a better headroom on crunches.
BUT there are other choices : AX8, Kemper, BIAS Head...

And about software, it is exactly the same problem : market saturation AND technology convergence
ppl spend hours to compare, instead of using something they simply LIKE :D

 

Last edited: Sep 14, 2017

Who can identify all the nice tube guitar preamps?
What is above the ADA MP series?
Rocktron Piranha
Peavey Rock Master
Marshall JMP-1

 

Not a guitar player, but I do use a lot of DI sample libraries and I have messed around with the old-school Pods back in the day. How does it compare to the software version of Avid's Eleven (which I haven't really messed around with yet)? And I know this is total heresy, but I've been onboard with Amplitude since it first came out. The only one that comes close to that, for me, is Guitar Rig.

 

I have a Axe FXII. The latest firmware is godlike. I would love for soft to come along and dethrone the Axe so i could unload it and have some $ in my pocket. Literally every soft guitar emulation out there sounds like you are playing through a transistor radio compared to the Axe FX.

 

I've just googled the helix hardware, and it sounds exactly like the plugin. But for 1500$ ahahhahahaha. Jesus freaking christ. That is probably the worst buy you can ever make. That's like taking a shit on the top of your head and then paying 1500$ for it. I thought Kemper was a bit overpriced but it's infinitely better than this.

 

I'm so happy I'm not a guitarist.
Whenever I need a distortion plugin for whatever soundsource I just try the different plugins and choose the one that suits best for me and don't have to care about the most realistic Marshall, Mesa or Soldano preamp, amp, cabinets or whatsoever and I don't think anyone can really hear this in a whole mix at all.

 

Im so happy you're not a guitar either.

 

I just hate impulse responses , because of how fake they sound and 2d no depth no sound of paper on the pick attack, none of the things that real speakers and cabs miced in a room give you, but as far as helix native , im pretty impressed, best they have done so far, to me it has long way to go before I feel dis-interested in building hand wired tube amps and playing them.
it has to do with the tiny detail that makes sound rich and 3d in nature, the helix comes across as fake and plastic like digital guitar pedals often do,its not because something is wrong with line6 kemper is like this all of them are, however im curious how helix native would sound going through transparent poweramp into a handmade guitar cabinet with high end speakers miced with expensive mic just for shits and giggles. to me its not worth paying any money for but i could picture myself loving it times when have to play quiet in middle night etc. so just to sum up , im only not satisfied with it in the tiny details the aspects of sound that make it 3d rich and full of life.( think of tape machine first straight daw recording)amplitube 4 to me is the best nothing else comes close ( and its not great in these areas either) i imagine it will only take another 25 years before we no longer need real amps and cabs!