Any guys here mess with a Helix?

Jvstrat

Jvstrat

Experienced
Let me start by saying I have been a happy Axe 2 owner since 2013, but sometimes I get stuck in the rabbit hole trying to create new tones. I was thinking about getting a helix lt as a backup, lazy man rig when I don’t feeling like bringing a rack and mfc, and as an effects board for my amps. I would get an Axe 8, but the interest free financing on the helix makes it very tempting. Any Axe users also use the helix and if so how do you like it?
 
I had a Helix to play with for a short time. On the plus side, it's fun and intuitive to work with. The effects are very good. On the minus side, the amp sounds were hit or miss for me. I didn't hate it, but I didn't keep it either.
 
I wonder about the headrush? It’s basically a newer eleven rack. I had the eleven rack before the fractal and it had some great tones.
 
I have been using a Helix for a couple of years in a worship band. VERY user-friendly and portable. Even the backpack was great! The hardware as a user interface is fantastic. BUT I never got anything out of it that I thought sounded really great. It was totally fine but just fine. The other guitar player used an Amplifire and it sounded much better. It was harder to use as far as patch organization switching.
 
I sold my Axe Fx II Xl. Went to Helix Native. Then Waves PRS Supermodels. Then I bought the Axe Fx III. :D

It got some nice features. And I like some of the sounds. The SLO-model is very good. But over all the Axe smokes it.

I might be biased. I might be a fanboi. But I'm right.
 
I tried Helix Native. Awful. I was amazed at how bad it sounded and felt. Seriously, it was terrible. I don't know if the hardware unit uses the same algorithms. If so, I don't see how Line 6 could sell them.
 
I had the opportunity to play one for hours... but only played it for about 45 minutes...
Honestly the amps didn't sound much if any, improved over the HD500 which I owned at the time...
Although I have heard others make it sing... so....
 
I had one a short time also. The interface is nice, but the hardware itself felt consumer grade, and I doubt it would stand up well to road use. I'm talking about things like the encoders, multi-way joystick, stuff like that. The case seemed sturdy. It is really easy to set it up for floor use, and things like the scribble strips and color coding for the type of module was a cool idea.

I didn't think much of the amps. I'd hear a lot of tones, and just think POD. Not horrible, but just not what I was after. The effects...some are good, some not so great.

I got rid of it, and haven't once wished I had it back. It really might be the perfect thing for a weekend cover band, especially with some of the 3rd party presets you can get. That wasn't my use case though.
 
Jvstrat said:
I wonder about the headrush? It’s basically a newer eleven rack. I had the eleven rack before the fractal and it had some great tones.
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From what I could gather the headrush is not a newer eleven rack, it is the eleven rack. With a shiny new interface.

As for the Helix, I'm kinda low GAS'ing for one, as it would be nice to have a one floorboard backup rig. Could I use the AX-8 for that? I did, it's not the Axe-FX in a smaller box, it's a smaller Axe-FX in a smaller box. So if I have to use something that is a scaled down Axe-FX, I might as well give the Helix a chance. Besides its fun to use something different as well. Is the amp modeling up to par with the Axe-FX? Maybe, but then again I don't have the Golden Ears of the Gods as many of you seem to have. I used to be pretty okay with the amp modeling that was in my old Line 6 units. It was the DSP limitations and numbers of total FX that I could use that I found lacking.
 
Muad'zin said:
I used to be pretty okay with the amp modeling that was in my old Line 6 units. It was the DSP limitations and numbers of total FX that I could use that I found lacking.
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The thing is, you could get a used AX8 ~$1200 cheaper than a Helix $1500.

Given the wealth of presets out there for the AX8, and this forum...I think if I was looking for a floor unit, I know I'd go with the AX8 until the next-gen FAS floor unit comes out...

I say this as a non-fanboy. I really just go with what sounds good, looks good, and that goes for gear, guitars, whatever. You could probably find a used of each in the GC system, play with both for a few weeks, and take back the one that doesn't work for you.
 
Hey , some guys like the Helix stuff. That’s OK. I’m picky. People tell me I’m picky. Hell , my dentist even says I’m picky. My carpenter says I’m the only guy he knows that can see an 8 foot 2x4 out of plumb , by an 1/8th of an inch , from 50 feet.
When I experienced Fractal Audio for the first time , shortly after using a Helix , I was totally satisfied. Never been happier. Never looking back. Best products. Best support...... Best forum lol. Should I go on ?
 
spagthorpe said:
The thing is, you could get a used AX8 ~$1200 cheaper than a Helix $1500.

Given the wealth of presets out there for the AX8, and this forum...I think if I was looking for a floor unit, I know I'd go with the AX8 until the next-gen FAS floor unit comes out...

I say this as a non-fanboy. I really just go with what sounds good, looks good, and that goes for gear, guitars, whatever. You could probably find a used of each in the GC system, play with both for a few weeks, and take back the one that doesn't work for you.
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I had an AX-8. It just wasn't the thing for me. Coming from the XL+ and knowing what it can do the AX-8 felt incredibly constrained. Whereas with a completely different machine and software architecture that feeling of constraint won't be there. It's a feeling of course, but that's what life is all about. I'm also looking forward to the 4 FX sent/return loops of the Helix, as it would allow me to use 4 of my favorite old stomp boxes.
 
I tried one when I was getting into the modelling game and I really liked the interface and the delay/mod stuff lifted from the M series. However in Australia they're around $1000 more expensive than an AX8, and for what I needed the amp models didn't measure up to the AX8. The best L6 hardware unit out at the moment is the HX effects IMO. Native is cool but not $500 cool, especially up against stuff like the PRS Waves plugin or Spark.
 
2112 said:
The best L6 hardware unit out at the moment is the HX effects IMO.
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Agreed!

I loved my Ultra, Axe-Fx II and FX8. Still have and use my AX8 with one of my two bands, and for recording. Love it and it still rules, best of class amp modelling.

My 2nd band is an old-school funky blues rock trio, so from the start I decided the rig would be one of my old Fender amps and some choice analog pedals. Crazy right? There ARE many tools and ways to do things.

Speaking of which, while the heart of that rig is real drive pedals into glowing tubes, I needed a few more things in my signal path like comp, wah, verb, delay and a decent noisegate, not to mention a tuner. Digital is WAY better and more practical for all these things regardless how old-school I'm trying to be, and I wanted all that on a pedalboard along with my drive pedals.

AX8 was simply too big, plus I wanted a physically separate rig for each of my two bands for logistical reasons.

Enter the L6 HX. It's almost perfect. Small, very easy interface and sounds great. Even the drives are VERY good and usable. Sorry to report here, I quite love the 'Minotaur' (Klon) for low gain dirt. If I didn't love some of my analog drive pedals so much I could easily gig with just the HX and my amp.
 
Muad'zin said:
I had an AX-8. It just wasn't the thing for me. Coming from the XL+ and knowing what it can do the AX-8 felt incredibly constrained.
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I felt that way at first (coming from AFXII) but I adapted pretty quickly. While I liked having 'kitchen sink' presets, the reality is I rarely used all the functionality, or I'd have all these scenes that I couldn't remember what they were after I while. I re-tooled w/ the 8 for the actual songs I was playing, and haven't looked back. But if I was still using the II, or if I had a III, I'd still want the AX8 as my backup because consistency... I can translate the presets (at least somewhat so), and I know that if I have an Amp & Cab w/ the same settings, it'll sound the same. For me that's much better than having to figure out how to make a different platform sound as good.

Guy in the last band I played with had a Helix, he sounded great. I never got to play it enough to make any determination for myself.
 
I use Helix Native but thought it sounded bad but I wasn't having much luck using my Axe-Fx II, Waves PRS and GTR or BIAS and everything sounded muddy until I got the Axe-Fx III. The Axe-Fx III has the tones I've been searching for but then I watched a video of @ML SOUND LAB comparing the Axe-Fx II and III using the same IR and they sounded almost identical. I then tried re-amping the Helix Native w/o a cab into the Axe-Fx III with only a Cab block and it sounded exponentially better.
 
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