1500 bucks, you say, Line6?

Line 6 knows how to make a sexy product, even if it sounds like shit (which the Helix probably doesn't). I will go out on a limb and say that Line 6 has been pushed by Fractal. Competition is a good thing.

I also have to say that the Line 6 website for the Helix really sucks.
 
Ever hear of a guy named Ben Heck? He mods old video game consoles into different chassis. For example placing the guts of an Xbox into a NES chassis.

I want that guy to mod a XL+ into a Helix chassis. That'd be my dream all in one no compromise portable rig.
 
Kingjimmi said:
My personal prediction for Helix support roadmap would look something like this:

Year 1-2: FW update roughly every 6 mos. Updates will consist of minor bug fixes. Additional amp and effect models will be added. Feature requests will largely be ignored except for maybe one or two of the most major ones. All updates free.

Year 3-4: Additional models will be through paid for add on packs. FW updates will still occur, but less frequently. Maybe one or two additional features may be added.

Year 5- : Product will be replaced by the next best thing. Updates will stop. Additional updates will only address new OS support if you're lucky.

Then again, who knows? New managment might bring better support. Everybody else in the industry is upping their game through mergers, cough cough Behringer, maybe it'll be better.

What I do know though, is that a larger corporate run team catering to a much larger user base will never be able to be as responsive as the FAS team.

Edit: You should read some of the comments made by the L6 development team. Paraphrasing, they go something along the lines of this:
Engineer to management: "We want to develop our dream modeling rig with all of these features that both we and the user base have been asking for. It's going to be way out of the price range that we usually play at."
Management: "Sure, go for it."
Engineer: "Yeah, I knew you were going to say no . . . huh, what? Go for it?"

What happens when management starts saying no?
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I agree, except, I see the the "in app purchases" model of buying amps, IR's, or otherwise coming way sooner than 3-4 years. I see that coming within the 1st year if not within the next 3 months.

I don't think there will be "firmware updates" like we get with Fractal either, where there are new features added on a regular basis. I think that's why it took them 4 years to release, and what you see now is the final Firmware, barring bug fixes and maybe usability changes.

All in all though just the fact that this Helix will be in big chain stores for the masses to finance with no waitlist means they will sell well IMO. I'm definitely going to buy one on credit and take advantage of my local L&M's 30 day no questions asked return policy and get a real in person test with it.
 
soon said:
But I don't care about future Fractal updates, they are not needed...
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Cliff please do not pay any attention to this guy!!!!! he is in a world by him self!!!!(of his self) Please stick to the platform you have been using!! we as fractal customers appreciate things such as updates, and that is what makes Fractal the best!!!!!!!!
 
Kingjimmi said:
Ever hear of a guy named Ben Heck? He mods old video game consoles into different chassis. For example placing the guts of an Xbox into a NES chassis.

I want that guy to mod a XL+ into a Helix chassis. That'd be my dream all in one no compromise portable rig.
Click to expand...

But that doesn't take into account making the Helix screen correspond to the Axe functions.
 
soon said:
Because I love Music. But at the end of the day I value Money even more so than human lives. If I had the opportunity to save a dollar or a persons life, I'd save a dollar... unless the person assured me I'd be rewarded with financial gains.

Money buys everything. It's a Tool. Money buys time & freedom, and money gives power as well as the options to have the best of everything.

To further elaborate... I'm probably the most narcacistic & self absorbed person on the planet, and proud of it, as those are good qualities in my mind. And to further illustrate how tight I am with money, I don't even tip waitstaff because it goes against my principals of giving money away. I don't believe in charity. And I like to get things for the best price.

Same thing with Gibson, I'd prefer a Orville by Gibson MIJ fujigen any day, same or better quality as real les pauls but lower price, although I'm a BC Rich neck thru guy now.
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Maybe if you graduated high school you would be able to find a job that pays better than McDonald's. For someone so narcissistic and self-absorbed, you're not very intelligent. You've never even owned an Axe FX II yet somehow you're the authority.

Hopefully some of those waiters you stiffed left a nice present in your Coke. Pathetic.
 
In my wet dream it does Chris! Add a Intel Compute Stick or something similar. Hack together a display driver. Run Axe Edit. Write additional software as necessary to account for the control knobs. All the buttons, knobs, I/O could be connected to a FPGA dev board and you could roll your own hardware controller. Skies the limit in the hacking/modding field if you have the skills and time.
 
All the guys saying on other forums .Cliff must be freaking , I don't think so . I truly 100% believe he knew full well Line6 was close to bringing Helix to the market . AX8 was the pre emptive strike to that ,not Kemper not ampliFIRE

While it looks like a jaguar , boasts a ton of horsepower the proof will be a full dry model demo , the sweet water demo sounded ok both clean and Plexi clips I have heard from FAS have been better to me
 
Man, this thread went to shit quick.

I can relate to soon on a handful of points, because I'm also sort of a dick, but many of the leaps he makes just do not correlate with all the variables and nuances of reality.

Hey, maybe L6 finally nailed it, and if so, I'm sure a decent market share will go back to being treated like their peons for a time... but I lack the faith necessary in that company to really think that's the case here.

Yet again, we'll see.
 
Hey, don't get me wrong, I HOPE they're on the right track here. Like everyone else has said, competition only helps us consumers. I've just got a bad case of "fool me once" going on here.

The layout is still sick! And having the built in dual expression on the hd500 was one of the main reasons I kept using it as my MIDI board.

...but until I get a chance to demo it myself, it's barely on my radar.

Who knows, if it sounds "good enough" and can still do all the MIDI stuff I need it to, it'd make for a sweet controller/backup rig.

Also, if it's legit and gains some traction, that only helps all the people fighting soundguys over running direct vs micing.
 
Rotti said:
Who knows, if it sounds "good enough" and can still do all the MIDI stuff I need it to, it'd make for a sweet controller/backup rig.
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I'm with you. I'm sick and tired of waiting for FAMC to release their product. Annouced pricing and the foot controller trade in offer from FAMC all sound great, but at the end of the day I only really need 20% of its MIDI capability.

It's kind of sad that the main reason I'm excited about the Helix is as a controller for the AFX with extras. Too bad the Helix Control doesn't sound like it acts as a standalone MIDi controller, otherwise I'd be all over it.
 
Rotti said:
Hey, don't get me wrong, I HOPE they're on the right track here. Like everyone else has said, competition only helps us consumers. I've just got a bad case of "fool me once" going on here.

The layout is still sick! And having the built in dual expression on the hd500 was one of the main reasons I kept using it as my MIDI board.

...but until I get a chance to demo it myself, it's barely on my radar.

Who knows, if it sounds "good enough" and can still do all the MIDI stuff I need it to, it'd make for a sweet controller/backup rig.

Also, if it's legit and gains some traction, that only helps all the people fighting soundguys over running direct vs micing.
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Oh I'm right there with ya! I just think it's funny how theses threads get all blown out of proportion when the device hasn't even been released yet.
 
If the helix controller (for the rack version) had assignable MIDI and a built in expression - which is beyond me why they left that out... could've still had additional expression ports - I'd be all but sold on it already.
 
I guess the only question for me now is whether:
1. I pull the trigger sight unseen on the Helix at a $300 discount. Not sure how the return policy works with this.
2. Wait to demo the unit, read the manual, watch and listen to some more demos and pay full retail.
3. Hold off on a AX8 that I would guess will be more expensive and not have the scribble strips that I've been lusting after, but have a known quality sound.
4. Just use a FCB1010 which, while not sexy, gets the job done.

Man, I bet Soon can relate to these first world problems.
 
Kingjimmi...

I would hold off for the AX8... because it's not going to be a lot more than the helix, and Fractal has proven tone. Metallica, Megadeth, and Steve Vai use Fractal.... plus I love what Tyler & Mark Day have done on here, that's all I need to know the tone is as good as real amps... Fender/Marshall anyway.

As far as the foot controller, lots of people on here say the FCB1010 works well and also the pod500x as a controller/emergency backup.

I think the $750 controller is one of the worst aspects price-wise of getting a Fractal Axe Fx.... I will end up forking it out though because as so many state on here, it's nice to have it be seamless and not have to program it... I am NOT a tweaker.

But I'd just wait till Ax8 comes out, then get them both if you have the means, try them side by side, return the one you don't want, no money lost, and then you have the peace of mind knwing you made the right educated choice.
 
I PREDICT THE i6FX. APPLE WILL BUY LINE 6 AND FRACTAL ONLY TO MERGE THEM. THE i6FX WILL HAVE 300 AMPS, GPS AND A ENGINE. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO RIDE YOUR TONE STRAIGHT TO THE GIG

MSRP: $3.50
 
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Kingjimmi said:
I guess the only question for me now is whether:
I Just use a FCB1010 which, while not sexy, gets the job done.
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if you are running an axe fx now this is what I would do
until the ax8 comes out and you can compare, unless you have tons of cash flow
 
soon said:
Kingjimmi...

I would hold off for the AX8... because it's not going to be a lot more than the helix, and Fractal has proven tone. Metallica, Megadeth, and Steve Vai use Fractal.... plus I love what Tyler & Mark Day have done on here, that's all I need to know the tone is as good as real amps... Fender/Marshall anyway.

As far as the foot controller, lots of people on here say the FCB1010 works well and also the pod500x as a controller/emergency backup.

I think the $750 controller is one of the worst aspects price-wise of getting a Fractal Axe Fx.... I will end up forking it out though because as so many state on here, it's nice to have it be seamless and not have to program it... I am NOT a tweaker.

But I'd just wait till Ax8 comes out, then get them both if you have the means, try them side by side, return the one you don't want, no money lost, and then you have the peace of mind knwing you made the right educated choice.
Click to expand...

Here is what id do, practice your guitar, because no amount of effects or amp technology is going to make up for crap playing

Get a decent job, so you can afford the best

Buy what ever you think is the best
 
I am not a easy guy to convince as far as tone goes... That's why I sold my old Axe Fx Standard, funny though, because when I bought the Axe Fx, I sold a Fender 1965 tube amp and also a Marshall 1974 2/12 tube amp... more so because I liked being able to play through headphones at night and getting good tone at low volumes, and I absolutely HATE, HATE, -HATE- micing' a amp and having to position the stupid mic just right and then trying to make sure there's perfect silence in the house before I go to record, and I'm lazy to where I don't even like dragging out a mic and setting all that up.... So I love Fractal for being able to record direct. I don't even like the sound of "in the room amp tone" I only like the sound of a amp after it's been recorded and post processed and on a CD. Because I hate listening to live music & bands... I -ONLY- enjoy music if it's on a CD coming out of studio monitors in my bedroom, or headphones. That's the ONLY way I ever like to hear music or guitar. But, after I had that old Axe Fx Standard about a year I always felt like something was missing, although close, I still wasn't getting the tones like I hear on all my fave 87-93 rock/metal CDs... so I sold it. Then I was planning on buying a Marshall YJM100 amp head and a couple 4/12 cabs because I love Yngwie Malmsteen... and that head seemed to do a Fenderish clean clse enough for me, because Marshall sound is most important to me even though I sometimes want SRV clean blues tone too. But the main reason I wanted the Marshall YJM100 was because it had power scaling down to .05 watt, which meant I could play that in my apartment. But the price of one of those with cabs woulda been as much or more than axe fx xl with mfc board, and axe fx is so much more diverse, and then when I heard what Mark Day and Tyler did in those videos on youtube.... that's when I knew I have to have the Axe Fx Xl, it's arrived. It was great as a standard, it is at perfection now as a xl, as far as Marshall/Fender, Mark Day & Tylers videos are proof of that. I know many of you keep saying things can be improved, maybe other crap like effects etc or other BS amps, all I care about is Fender/Marshall.
 
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