Helix Native Fail

[butcher55]

There's a lot of talk on forums that it is neccessary to set the inpul level on Helix Native properly - to keep it rather low if I remember correctly. Try googling for tips on setting levels - they claim it makes a big difference.

 

[Admin M@]

The ease of re-amping with the Axe-Fx III makes it a contender in this space. You can even use two chains at once -- one for re-amping and a separate one for realtime effects!

 

[Brian Coonan]

I recently spent some time with Helix Native to see for myself how it stacks up. I tried it before, but tried it again to make sure I gave it a fair assessment.

IMO, the raw amp tones are not even close to being in the same league as the II or the III. I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how it gets such good reviews. The attack especially is one-dimensional, mushy, and cartoonish. The controls don't act as I would expect from an amp. The distortion characteristics are unrealistic. This thing sounds like my ancient Boss GX-700. Seriously, I'm surprised at how shitty this plugin sounds. It's no better than Guitar Rig, and not as good as other plugins. I had high hopes, as having a reasonably priced and realistic plugin would benefit me greatly. But this falls miserably short of the hype I've read.

Anyone disagree? I'm open to suggestions on how to get a truly superb tone from this. When I plug in to my Axe, I am convinced that Helix cannot possibly measure up.

Had the same opinion - I tested it out so I could hear for myself and just wasn't happy with it. Ended up messing around with it for a long time but never was satisfied with what I was hearing. I went from the AX8 into my little Focusrite and was immediately happy. I know people that use the Helix (both floor and Native versions) and really dig it, and they sound pretty good...just wasn't my cup of tea.

 

[Spartacus]

I ran a demo of Helix Native a few months back, and didn’t like the amps sims at all. My old Ultra is better. Or some of the UAD, or one or two of the IK models are alright.

However, I do like the effects (have an M13) so having those is the box would be handy. But just couldn’t justify the cost of it!

 

[steadystate]

I also prefer the Ultra for raw amp tone, though the difference isn't as pronounced as with the II or the III. Does the Helix hardware unit use the same algorithms as Native? If so, I just can't believe this product could generate any buzz whatsoever based on my experience with the plugin. Perhaps ten years ago, but now?

UAD kicks butt, but does not allow you to substitute the cab sims with 3rd party; a fatal flaw for me. I won't buy an amp sim limited to two or three baked-in IRs. Still need to try some of the other recommendations here.