Line 6 Helix Reviews Are Starting to Appear...

jrh_67 said:
Line 6 has got enough of my hard earned money in the past and has left me disappointed EVERY single time./QUOTE]

For me it was only one time with the POD HD. But every other piece of equipments has serve me well and i have only great things to say about them!
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It's pretty funny how everyone just assumes the Axe FX will sound better before it's even been released to the general public. I have plenty of experience playing with IEM's and mic'd up tube amps and the sounds I've heard so far sound really natural to me. I would tweak them sure but they sound realistic. For the record they sell Kemper at Anderton's and they also compared it to that. I for one will be trying the Helix out in person before I decide if it will work for my needs or not.
 
willowdale said:
The Fractal/Kemper success was naturally going to inspire Line6 to raise their game...

The Helix is going to be enough for many guitarists who are into modeling units. You can tell by a few of the demos that the tones are in there.......when folks get a chance to dial it in themselves & use their favorite IR's, I'll bet it will be very good. Even if it's not exactly Fractal/Kemper good.

It also looks to have the best UI out there, almost every routing option you could imagine, 8x8 USB audio, scribble scrips, IR loading, gorgeous screen & simple intuitive onboard workflow.

The Helix being a great success will be good for us all. At the very least a new bar will be set regarding expected UI & routing options going forward......
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I have said before, I want it to be good....because we all benefit from competition......But I have to wonder. I am a tech guy and I know many here are lightyears ahead of me- I stopped 12 years ago. Anyway, that is a ton of functionality ---so the first thing that comes to mind for me is................reliability....we'll see of course.
 
At the end of the day, it's going to come down to the player's hands. Lincoln Brewster has been using x3s and HD500 floorboards for years and they sound FANTASTIC. I couldn't get those same floorboards to sound anywhere close. Richie Kotzen tours with a tech 21 fly rig and whatever backline they can provide. Again, sounds fantastic. The list goes on and on.

Fractal, Line 6. It's all really up to the player. Find what works for you and make great music with it. And yes, I've played the helix and spent a good amount of time with it. I won't be selling my AxeFx because I know it inside and out and it works for me.
 
Its really more demo than review and in a noisy room too. I think the iphone video the Line 6 guy posted before sounds way better.
 
I've spent enough time with my AxeFX that it's second nature. It had great sounds right out the box, but as I've gotten deeply familiar with the AxeFX paradigm, I've learned to leverage it. So far, I haven't encountered anything that has been a limit for me. When I bought my unit, FW13 was current. As I've posted elsewhere, I use the rotary effect more than any other modulation effect. The FW13 version was pretty thin compared with my Strymon Lex. A few FW revisions later, the rotary block was completely overhauled... and I sold the Lex :) Fractal Audio Systems continues to improve, extend, and optimize a hardware / software platform that I purchased 18 months ago - with every new improvement being free!

I can't say the same for any other gear manufacturer. I've been a professional guitarist for 30+ years. I also am a tech nerd, and was an early adopter of modeling gear, so I have had quite a bit of experience with Line6 equipment. Honestly, the Line6 POD "Pro" was a pretty decent modeling machine in its time, and it was handy for road use. I also used to have a TC Electronic G Force processor. Those flagship units had exactly *one* firmware update during the many years I owned them. It isn't a knock on those companies; I'm just pointing that they were pretty much unchanged and unimproved despite having untapped potential and a huge user base clamoring for updates. Good specs and a solid initial implementation is important. But ongoing customer support, and the relentless pursuit of "just a little more awesomeness" sets Fractal apart.

I want to be clear that I don't hate Line6 just because I favor the AxeFX. I use a Line6 G90 rack-mounted wireless system, and also have a G50 pedalboard wireless for my "B" rig - which also includes a Line6 M9. If Line6 has taken a quantum leap with the Helix, that's great! It will inspire a bunch of guitarists to appreciate, and to create, glorious guitar tones. That's really the biggest compliment I can pay to Fractal : since I got the AxeFX, I can realize those hugely dimensional studio tones that I hear in my head, and can easily deliver that sound to the front of house / mixing board. My AxeFX inspires me to play more, and to play better. If the Helix does that for guitarists as well, that's a good thing.

Will the Helix be "as good" as the AxeFX? I think that's subjective. Is a strat better than a Les Paul? If it inspires great music, it's a good tool.
 
5150 said:
The talking points of their sales pitch are pretty obvious -- "get good modelling with a leading interface". The interface does look cool, but I have no desire to program from the front of *any* unit. Minor tweaks, yes. But I don't want to spend hours setting up patches and routing, and experimenting with models, etc for hours on end while constantly bending down to the ground. Or putting the unit on a table, crate, etc.

It's all about the tone, in the end, and how it feels under my fingers. I've seen Line 6 put out vids with great sounds for years now. Sean Halley, one of their product demo folks, does a particularly great job of dialing up very good sounds --= they alwasy sound super impressive. But every time I get my hands on a modern modeller from Line 6, it always feels like crispy crapola. (Except for the Pod 2.0, ironically enough. I still have that unit, and still find it usable.)
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The interface is much more than programming. Its being able to see what the unit is doing, what patch you're on, what each button does in the current preset etc... In that case it's far superior to the others. But sone people won't care because they don't need the information.
 
Sorry but this is fanboy territory. We criticize other gear whilst trying to emulate sounds and tones from decades ago. If the review states "this will kick the Axe into touch" then fair do...does it? Different ears, different budget, good and bad ears, different tastes. There are more people out there without an Axe than those who do. Some people still laugh at amp modelling. Some people on here are a bit smug with the fact they can afford an Axe and lord it. Pure fanboy. Everyone uses what they use, irony is that some use an Axe to play chainsaw metal and have neighbours pounding on the walls. Somebody else will play a chorused arpeggio on a HD500 and get the crowd moist. Its all cool
 
the biggest thing that bugs me about helix (from what I've heard so far) is the low end sounds mushy.
 
Ahmed Badreldin said:
Sorry but this is fanboy territory. We criticize other gear whilst trying to emulate sounds and tones from decades ago. If the review states "this will kick the Axe into touch" then fair do...does it? Different ears, different budget, good and bad ears, different tastes. There are more people out there without an Axe than those who do. Some people still laugh at amp modelling. Some people on here are a bit smug with the fact they can afford an Axe and lord it. Pure fanboy. Everyone uses what they use, irony is that some use an Axe to play chainsaw metal and have neighbours pounding on the walls. Somebody else will play a chorused arpeggio on a HD500 and get the crowd moist. Its all cool
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Fanboy is really a word you should never use-the word sucks and the use of it. Because it is b**lsh**....sorry but that's the way I feel.
 
I'm waiting until I can hear/play one for myself before passing any judgement. I especially am not going to base judgement off shitty, low bit-rate, compressed YouTube sources.
 
BrokenRecordMode:ON

I still have (and use) some Line6 gear (Vetta II 2x12 + 2x12 exp cab, HD100, Pod Pro XT for my bass rig, etc).

Good stuff. No complaints at all. It fills a market niche for those who can't spend the $$ on Fractal Gear.

When it comes to making music, there is no 'right' or 'wrong' choice, only 'what works for you and your budget', end of story. There are probably some great songs being played on the airwaves today that were recorded with L6 gear, and none of you are the wiser.
 
I agree with most of people have said, however ill add this (and i don't want it to come of as the wrong way, i respect you guys)

My mate uses an XT and an X3, one my band uses a stage source mixer

As for the pedals they are 10 kinds crap rolled in to 1, as for the mixer, its all gimmic yeah sure you can see pretty pictures and things on a lovely LCD screen, but its not functional, and the work flow is contrived

There are some line6 products that hit the mark, a lot dont, line 6 is just a marketing company which excels out tapping in a segment of the market which doesn't know any better (for the most part)

As for people on the fractal forum continually beating the helix drum, its nauseating, i have the money to buy both, and ill always go for the better gear, fractal might have fan boys, but this is the product i "chose" to own
The company is top notch (fractal), the continual dedication to their product is outstanding, as a betting man, my money is with fractal

Until i play one, and get AB reviews, these threads are pointless, and are just noise

Sorry if this was a downer or come off the wrong way
 
Stratman68 sorry if offended, I've used HD500 Boss GT 10 100 GR33 55, VG99, and used all the forums. Gibson, Fender, Kramer and more. Not accusing OP of starting a riot, but we all started humble, cheap cheese grater action copy guitars and crap amps. I consider myself lucky and priveliged to afford an Axe. But all forums included some seem to sneer and knock everything else which is below their own standard, the owner of an original 59 laughs at the remakes, the Marshall tube expert dissing Fractal cos it aint real. This is what I consider a fan..fanatic..or fanboy

Products come and go, if it's good for the user and their pocket, then good on them. I've pretty much made this statement on all forums, including Line 6 who diss the Boss products...but then we laugh at them. I said before there are more guitarists who aren't lucky to have an Axe and join this forum to have their own gear mocked. Peace
 
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