phantomofalfred
Inspired
I have been an Axe user ever since it came out and gave me another direct option besides line 6.
Just out of curiosity, i decided to try the HELIX and return if i did not like it. I had heard that the HELIX was much better amp modeling than the POD HD Series. Some rather popular metal bands are using them so i thought what the hell. I will give it a shot. Once it arrived I only spent my time tweaking on the HELIX and ignored the Axe II I usually use. I did not want to go back and forth. I just wanted to spend time alone with the HELIX and give it its best fair shot. I did love the interface but at the end of the day, it was nothing more than a POD XT with a nice slick interface.
I was a bit mislead by a HELIX user making statements, like " everyone buys the Axe II to sound like MESHUGGAH, but MESHUGGAH never made one album with AXE FX, he want on to state that NOTHING (pod pro), CATCH 33 and I (POD XT) were all Line 6 and the ones before it were real amps. That may be true, but he left out some important facts in history which was kind of misleading. Back in their ozz-fest days, MESHUGGAH could not afford to drag their MESA amps and cabs everywhere, so they looked for a compact alternative,. At the time, Line 6 gear was the only alternative. "Line 6 POD PRO Racks" for NOTHING. then they used other Line6 gear for the same reason. Once the Axe FX1 came out it has been all they use live. "the Line 6 user failed to mention that part of history", He also failed to mention that they would rather use VST Plugin guitars than use Line 6 again. I wont mention his name or knock him, because i do believe he enjoys using their equipment more. He also relies on Variax technology to change tunings during songs without switching guitars. So understandable. I just found some of his comments misleading. After all the tweaking i did, i discovered that if you have the patience, you can get much more realistic tone out of Axe FX II. I am not saying better or worse, just more realistic. MESHUGGAH did not choose line 6. At that time in history, it was their only option on the market. Once the Axe FX 1 came out as an alternative for MESHUGGAH, they have used only AXE 1s live.
Why? I assume it's because they can make the modern pod sounds with it if they want, they can also accurately recreate all their older material live with the "Realistic Amp Models" included in the Axe FX. I have to say i really wanted to like the HELIX, I just could not get over how bad the amp models and controls were. Moving a slider almost 40% made almost no difference, you had to go over 50% for any sound to change. None of the sounds impressed me in the least. In fact i thought my old POD HD500 sounded just as good if not better. HELIX is cool if you want to use a variax to change tunings on the fly, also cool to have a rig in one box. HELIX does do some things that the Axe FX cannot do yet. However, getting the best possible realistic amp sound is not one of them. I would also mention that using HELIX to change tunings, to low, will cause artifacts and fake sound that cannot be avoided. Ever try to palm mute on a piezo pickup? Your palm muted hand being in front of the pickup source instead of behind it? It just doesn't sound right to my ears.
Just my 2 cents. And again.. I am not bashing line6, I myself used them for years, until the first Axe FX came out. I am just saying that for me, realism is more important than convenience. I will now wait patiently on the list for my AXE III. perhaps there will be even better features in the future due to the increased power and memory. Looking forward to the Axe III when my turn comes up.
If there is any interest, i can post the sound test i did to make my final decision to send the HELIX back.
Again, I am not bashing Line 6 or anyone who prefers their equipment. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and the above is mine. I feel I gave it a fair shake but I chose the Axe overwhelmingly. Even sent tone tests to friends and asked them to tell me which recording of the same tune they preferred.
They all chose the Axe FX tracks in a blind test. Not one person chose the HELIX tracked guitars
I used the comparable amp models "recto" and used the same guitar with the same pickups.
Cheers,
Phantom.
Just out of curiosity, i decided to try the HELIX and return if i did not like it. I had heard that the HELIX was much better amp modeling than the POD HD Series. Some rather popular metal bands are using them so i thought what the hell. I will give it a shot. Once it arrived I only spent my time tweaking on the HELIX and ignored the Axe II I usually use. I did not want to go back and forth. I just wanted to spend time alone with the HELIX and give it its best fair shot. I did love the interface but at the end of the day, it was nothing more than a POD XT with a nice slick interface.
I was a bit mislead by a HELIX user making statements, like " everyone buys the Axe II to sound like MESHUGGAH, but MESHUGGAH never made one album with AXE FX, he want on to state that NOTHING (pod pro), CATCH 33 and I (POD XT) were all Line 6 and the ones before it were real amps. That may be true, but he left out some important facts in history which was kind of misleading. Back in their ozz-fest days, MESHUGGAH could not afford to drag their MESA amps and cabs everywhere, so they looked for a compact alternative,. At the time, Line 6 gear was the only alternative. "Line 6 POD PRO Racks" for NOTHING. then they used other Line6 gear for the same reason. Once the Axe FX1 came out it has been all they use live. "the Line 6 user failed to mention that part of history", He also failed to mention that they would rather use VST Plugin guitars than use Line 6 again. I wont mention his name or knock him, because i do believe he enjoys using their equipment more. He also relies on Variax technology to change tunings during songs without switching guitars. So understandable. I just found some of his comments misleading. After all the tweaking i did, i discovered that if you have the patience, you can get much more realistic tone out of Axe FX II. I am not saying better or worse, just more realistic. MESHUGGAH did not choose line 6. At that time in history, it was their only option on the market. Once the Axe FX 1 came out as an alternative for MESHUGGAH, they have used only AXE 1s live.
Why? I assume it's because they can make the modern pod sounds with it if they want, they can also accurately recreate all their older material live with the "Realistic Amp Models" included in the Axe FX. I have to say i really wanted to like the HELIX, I just could not get over how bad the amp models and controls were. Moving a slider almost 40% made almost no difference, you had to go over 50% for any sound to change. None of the sounds impressed me in the least. In fact i thought my old POD HD500 sounded just as good if not better. HELIX is cool if you want to use a variax to change tunings on the fly, also cool to have a rig in one box. HELIX does do some things that the Axe FX cannot do yet. However, getting the best possible realistic amp sound is not one of them. I would also mention that using HELIX to change tunings, to low, will cause artifacts and fake sound that cannot be avoided. Ever try to palm mute on a piezo pickup? Your palm muted hand being in front of the pickup source instead of behind it? It just doesn't sound right to my ears.
Just my 2 cents. And again.. I am not bashing line6, I myself used them for years, until the first Axe FX came out. I am just saying that for me, realism is more important than convenience. I will now wait patiently on the list for my AXE III. perhaps there will be even better features in the future due to the increased power and memory. Looking forward to the Axe III when my turn comes up.
If there is any interest, i can post the sound test i did to make my final decision to send the HELIX back.
Again, I am not bashing Line 6 or anyone who prefers their equipment. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and the above is mine. I feel I gave it a fair shake but I chose the Axe overwhelmingly. Even sent tone tests to friends and asked them to tell me which recording of the same tune they preferred.
They all chose the Axe FX tracks in a blind test. Not one person chose the HELIX tracked guitars
I used the comparable amp models "recto" and used the same guitar with the same pickups.
Cheers,
Phantom.