Axe-Fx III vs Helix

From what I’ve seen, most of the top helix users put a crossover somewhere to split highs and lows to shape them from the amp. I don’t need to do this with the axe.

I’ve designed presets for local Line 6 product users and I can never get the fundamental tone/EQ I want of the amps and the gain feels “splashy” to me. Not a knock at all - it can sound good in a mix and the presets I make tend to work out ok. But comparatively speaking I really struggle to get a good feel from helix, pods, amplifi etc. helix is definitely the best and adding custom IRs really helps, but it feels really rough to me.

Just my opinion and experience.
 
I went from Axe FX II to AX8 to Helix and now the Axe FX III.
I have been going back to old school rigs a few times in between.

I still have my Helix.

Helix Pros:
Very easy UI
No need for a computer = very gig friendly
Easy to get good sounds out of.
Have a few drives that i miss (a little bit) in the AxIII - like the minotaur (Tumnus)
Scribble strips bigger and easier to read
1 unit - easy to gig with
Clean to Crunch tones are good.
Helix Cons:
Feel - not as the AxIII
Level of adjustments - option to create the exact sound.
Firmware updates not a often as the AxIII
Stock cabs not to the level of the AxIII

Things that might not matter so much to me:
Number of amps and Cabs - as long as the ones i use are there.

I cannot remember i ran out of CPU on the Helix. I did that on the Axe II and the AX8.

I do however LOVE my AxIII. I have had it for a few weeks and I am very happy with the sound, feel, options and the new UI are far better that the AxII and AX8.

Still in a process of getting use to the FC-12. But getting there.

So not regrets going back to the Fractal family.
And btw. I just sold my AX8 and the new owner are super happy.
 
And what about the editing software? AFAIC HX Edit is way behind AXE Edit, it was one of the main reasons I switched. Mouse users are forced to grapple with finicky little thin lines you need to grab/hover over and move, rather than the nice big knobs and switches we have in AXE Edit. Menu options, copy/paste options, Fractal Bot (updates bring joy when they drop, rather than trepidation), integrated Axe-Change, etc. etc. etc. The whole package is just, more professional.

As for tone and feel, I've tried to get the Helix (rack) to sound as good as the FX III using the Solo 100 on each, I got it fairly close, but only by running them both through the same AXE cab (different chains), I couldn't get anywhere near using Helix cabs though. The feel of the Helix was nowhere near as good for me. When I play quietly, gently caressing the strings, the connection with, the feel of the guitar, is just beautiful. I reckon if you had the right algorithm, ran it through the FX III, you'd be able to pull people's fingerprints from it. :grinning:

My Helix rack is good and I won't be getting rid of it, but the FX III is worth every extra penny and overall, far better value IMO.
 
Doctor Wu - interesting guitar photo for your profile. What is it?

Reason I ask - purely out of curiosity - is that I have a very similar looking guitar. It's Bernie Rico Junior's #3 (and last ever) "Valiant" hand-built instrument. Here's the photo - and you'll see why your photo piqued my interest :)

Bernie Rico Jr Valiant.jpg
 
Sounds to me like the main complaint is the Helix cabs suck. I loved the fact that the III had so many amps on tap, problem is I only used maybe 4 or 5 lol Im an amp-cab-delay kinda guy and maybe will use a pitch detune or chorus while playing clean. Hate using OD pedals & compressors, IMO if I gotta use those then the amp isn't doing the job it should be doing. Guess I'm just picky lol
 
Doc Rock said:
Well, I beg to differ with all those who say it's night and day, the Axe smokes the Helix

I can get great sounds out of both, and I can get awful sounds out of both.
Click to expand...

Yep. Through the same IR or through my Powercab+'s like you, the difference isn't nearly what some say in forum posts. You can get excellent sounds through either. I've heard rather dismal Axe-Fx tones too. But to say that it universally smokes the Helix is just silly. There are so many great devices out there and modeling tech has advanced so far that the differences are pretty much in the hands of the person tweaking the unit. The same could be said about real amps. Gear elitism...so lovely.
 
chris said:
From what I’ve seen, most of the top helix users put a crossover somewhere to split highs and lows to shape them from the amp. I don’t need to do this with the axe.
Click to expand...

There’s like one guy that does this, and IMO it’s completely unnecessary. It’s just a fancy and completely weird way to EQ the amp output. I also don’t care for his results. Great player, meh tone.
 
I greatly prefer the sounds I have been able out of the Fractal stuff (AX8, Axe2, Axe3) vs the Helix. I also greatly dislike the preset building philosophy of the Helix (having to micromamage the CPU allocation).

Having said that, as a listener, I have heard awesome stuff from the Helix.

So I think it's subjective. It's nice to have choices!
 
I feel like there’s several people on here dogging on me about the fact that I made a comment about how the Axe smokes Helix. Look I have both units. I love my Helix and I plan on keeping it. I’m not saying the Helix isn’t fantastic. To my hands and ears the way the Fractal responds to my playing and the complexity of the tones is better imho. Also with Axe 3 even more so than the Axe 2 I used to own is super easy to just drop in any amp and just about any cab and have a great usable sound that easily. With Helix it’s never that easy. It’s gotten better with their last firmware, but I still feel I have to try several cabs and tweaks before I get what I want. After all the original owner was asking for opinions from people that own or have played both and I do own both. Ymmv, but I stick to my original comment. ;)
 
One of the huge thingsI love about the Axe FX III is hope I can have one preset loaded with 8 amp "channels" and hardly ever have to leave Preset Prime during a gig thanks to scenes!

Basically 8 amps in one preset!
 
Dismal Axe fx tones? :eek: such a thing exists?!?! I certainly have not heard it lol!! It's actually kinda hard to make the axe sound bad, you have to WORK on making it sound bad...just about any amp and cab sounds good off the bat, just like the real amp and cab would - the flavor is up to the user - not all amp and cab combos sound good to everyone but the point is that with just any amp and any cab you can get a decent starting point and it FEELS like you're playing an amp!

When I used to own a lot of amps, I'd buy the latest modeling device, use it for a bit and default back to my amps. With the axe fx now I default now back to the axe when I realize that other modeling devices have not really broken much ground in YEARS.
Cliff does this every WEEK almost!
Just recently I had another of these 'does not smoke the axe fx' modeling devices.....I was disappointed again and sold it within weeks. As far as helix has come, the ultra can STILL smoke it, far less for the ii, and the iii is COMPLETELY in a class on it's own. It is breaking grounds and in unchartered and unfathomed territory now, so much so that it SMOKES THE AMPS IT MODELS!!!

Some people can't tell the difference, and I do feel sorry for you, we all hear differently, but man, when a device sounds even better than the source material, and the ultra still sounds better than the next best competitor, it's time to admit that there is a clear winner here.
 
Karl Houseknecht said:
Route path 1 into path 2.

Managed.
Click to expand...
Not entirely true.

For example, I built a preset where I did just that. I wanted to add a rotary block but I could not do it until I shuffled some additional items from path 1 to path 2. Simply routing one to the other does not prevent you from having to micromanage the CPU.

Of course the counterargument is that at least you can maximize the usage of each cpu if you want, which you can't do if one is just for amp modelling and one is for effects. But I prefer the way Fractal (and really, everyone but Line6 with the Helix) does it.

Austin
 
It’s cool if some think it’s a wash, etc. For me with both side by side it is no contest for my kind of sounds. Everyone on gear forums thinks they are picky about tone but not everyone is and not everyone is about the same things.

That said, I think the way FAS models certain things like speaker impedance response and then exposes it the user to allow adjustment for their rig, for example, makes it untouchable. You literally do not even have control over that with other systems; and it is critical for my power amp and cab rig for example. It simply does not sound truly right without that available, IMHO. And that is just one thing... there are a bunch of others.
 
I have a Helix LT and used it for a while when I sold my AX8 prior to the AXE3 release. I think the amp modeling sounds pretty good. It is different than the Fractal, as it has a more raw kind of sound. As far as effects go some are close to Fractals, others not so close. Even the low resolution spring reverbs on the Fractal sound fantastic.

Where they differ the most is usability. IMO the Fractal is way more usable than the Helix. Things like being able to toggle between 2 presets are just not feasible on the Helix. And yes , Line6 did implement a toggle to previous feature, which is somewhat usable, but still doesnt meet my needs. Also the ability to use modifiers on the Fractal is light years ahead of Helix.
 
William Mims said:
One of the huge thingsI love about the Axe FX III is hope I can have one preset loaded with 8 amp "channels" and hardly ever have to leave Preset Prime during a gig thanks to scenes!

Basically 8 amps in one preset!
Click to expand...

Helix does exactly the same. In Fractal world, they're called Scenes. In Helix world, they're called Snapshots.

I stick with my original post and comparison posted further up - you get more difference in sounds and tone by changing guitars than there is between the Helix and the Axe Fx3. As a reminder, I own both and use both. And several different guitars. ;)
 
bdrepko said:
Things like being able to toggle between 2 presets are just not feasible on the Helix.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? You can toggle and switch presets on the Helix in exactly the same way you can on the Axe with an FC on the floor. You can run the Helix (or the Axe) in Preset/Patch mode, or you can flick it to Scene/Snapshot mode. In fact, on the Helix, that's just a toe tap. On the FC-12 I have, it's a strange rocking motion between two switches that has to be done and THEN tap another switch to put it into Scene mode. The Helix is far easier from that point of view.

I mean, really, there are fanboyz and there are FANBOYZ. As someone who owns and uses both, I find it ridiculous, and oh so predictable, to read on the Fractal forums why the Fractal is so much better, and on the Line 6 forums why the Helix is so much better. Sweeping generalisations are not evidence - they're opinions. And it's largely confirmation bias, because people prefer one over the other for whatever reason. But wild statements about differences in tone, playability, response, tweakability, etc etc are just rubbish. There are good and bad sounds from both, there are great sounds from both, and I just think we're lucky to live now in a world where we have access to such amazing technology from both.
 
Doc Rock said:
What are you talking about? You can toggle and switch presets on the Helix in exactly the same way you can on the Axe with an FC on the floor. You can run the Helix (or the Axe) in Preset/Patch mode, or you can flick it to Scene/Snapshot mode. In fact, on the Helix, that's just a toe tap. On the FC-12 I have, it's a strange rocking motion between two switches that has to be done and THEN tap another switch to put it into Scene mode. The Helix is far easier from that point of view.
Click to expand...
what are you talking about? you can assign any switch to just change to "Scene mode" if you want. you can completely disable that "rocking mode" function if you want.

i think they were referring to the Toggle function you can set on a switch to quickly toggle back and forth between 2 presets or 2 scenes with the same switch.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom