Steve, great video as always!! Thanks and I think it is great that you take the time to respond to every comment. BTW - “impeeeeedance” 🤣😂🤣 only us old dudes would pick up on that!!!
1. Templates 2. Presets WILL sound much different live than in your house. 3. Dial back the reverb 4. Try the preset will all pickup combinations. 5. Dial back the low end. You have a bass player.
I set all my presets with my guitar volume at 5. It just seems to help give me the sound I want and I can use my volume knob like I did on an amp. I make all my presets at stage volume this saves any surprises when we play live. I have always set my high and low cut on my IR as it make sense to be doing it to the speaker output. There are so many places to do this on the Helix I was loosing track where I was doing it and when going back later to edit a high cut at a loss now where did I do that. Seems to work ok for me. Thanks for your comments Steve really helpful getting info from a gigging muso. Cheers
I wish time and space weren't an issue 😅🤣. Would love to have a real studio type room to keep set up. I appreciate you watching! Hope to get to it soon
Save, Backup and Update Often. I normally do this like once a month depending on how much I'm working with my Helix. While I was on tour I backed up my helix weekly. Sometimes more than that. You can never save and backup your helix too much and it's a great habit or practice to keep. Another great and informative video Steve. 👍👍
--- [1] For the Helix & PodGo, backups are so quick, easy, & wise. It is negligent if you don't backup frequently. ---[1] Back up --[a] when you start & --[b] when you end any session (editing, practicing, rehearsing, noodling, etc.). You might screw up something during a session, & a 'beginning-of-session' backup will get you back to your, duh, 'beginning-of-session' setup. An 'end-of-session' backup will preserve your hard work & time spent, so that you'll be ready to go for your next session. Obviously, I have a Helix & PodGo. Richard
I set my 1/4 volume out to be controlled with the volume knob. That goes into my personal monitor(whatever it may be). The XLR is set to Mic and goes to FOH (the PA). That way I can adjust my stage volume without affecting the FOH mix. Sound guys like that.
Totally agree about using running the Helix into FRFR's. Call me crazy, but I want my _effects_ unit to color the sound, and I want my amplifier to just _amplify_. Interesting suggestion with splitting the delay and reverb into parallel paths. That surely will help keep your delays from getting muddy. I'll give that a shot.
Working off snapshots: Use your amp model to get most of your gain. Then use as desired OD/distortion effect to color. Real world-analogue: I use an edge of breakup amp single amp and gain stage it with 3 or 4 OD boxes. In helix world: I use 4 snaps that increase the amps gain which gives me 4 pallets to paint from. By the way: it’s im. pEd. ence.
Great work Steve! I would add Low Cut as well. As someone said below, you have a bass player. I like to start around 70hz and adjust to taste. I love bass in my guitar tone when I'm playing alone, but only when I'm alone. In a band you need to give the bass player room so you might need to really cut the bass to like 100hz. Remember guitar is a MID RANGE instrument...mostly.
Hey Steve... great vid, as always. Personally, I used to use a Katana as a cabinet by sending the Helix into the Power Amp In. In case the Helix died on me, I could just use the Katana direct for presets. When the Line 6 Celestion debuted, I tried my Helix into the Power Amp In and loved it. The advantage is it has Line 6 customizable tones as a backup. No need to bring a backup Stomp or other floorboard. So, when using the Power Amp In, you're really bypassing the modeling features of the Katana/Celestion/ modeling amp and using the Helix, instead, and you have a backup just in case. Simple.
Recording tip - in addition to a totally wet and totally dry signal, also record an output without reverb/delay - that way if you have too much, the engineer can mix in your semi-dry signal to reduce it, rather than having to use your dry signal and reamp or put it through a sim. Simplest way to do this is to use an FX Send block in the right spot - this gets recorded from USB 5/6.
Thats exactly what I am doing with the parallel FX except I am the mixer as well. You can easily split the path and send the 2 to separate outputs to do what you are saying though! So much flexibility
@@SteveSterlacci spent a whole evening watching more of your vids and playing with the HX stomp, I got killer tones and control now. I have one question, do you know of a way to assign tap tempo to a preset without doing it globally, there is only one preset I need it for and would like to use FS3 fo other things in other presets. is it possible in control centre to send back cc64 to HX, could make a good vid if possible.... thanks again, great channel
That's a great question. I don't believe its possible though. Any assignment for tap and tuner are global. It is possible if you have banks on your midi device though
Best practice, maybe. File management. I create new presets for each song. A song may stay in the set for a few weeks. Then 6 months later, it gets put in the set again. I have a folder set up on my laptop that I export individual presets to. It makes it very simple to go the an empty preset slot, tap Import, go to the file , which is saved in alpha order, and bring It back in. This saves time trying to search through the Helix set lists trying to find an old preset. The preset in the pcfolder also has a date, so if I have a couple different versions of a song, I can see the newest.
I hope some of you find these useful: 1. Explore the sag control, and try adding a compressor somewhere in the chain to help simulate the subtle compression going on inside a tube amp circuit, and to simulate some sensation of “feedback-like” sustain (since getting real feedback with digital products is tough). 2. Try using 2 similar, yet different amp blocks and 2 dual-cab blocks for a thicker tone. Use paths 1 and 2 to accomplish this. 3. Try creating as realistic of a signal chain as possible. Maybe your modulations, delays and reverbs will sound better in an “effects loop” between the amp and cabinet blocks instead of after the cabinet? 4. Consider setting a control between 1-9 when building presets/snapshots at home instead of 0-10. That way when you’re at the gig, you always have a little wiggle room to add or remove ANYTHING that you might want for that particular performance. I normally do this for any level, gain, mix, and EQ control.
Fantastic 10 tips brother SS. Nice hair BTW. Sadly havent touched my helix or guitar in a long time ;( need to get back to them. Miss your vids. Need to catch up. Keep rocking.
First, it's "im-PEE-dence". "IM-puh-dence" is something that happens to old men. Second, the impedance basically the resistance to having the electrons moved back and forth. Basically, you're trying to send an oscillating signal (starting from your vibrating strings) through to the Helix. Imagine that, to do this, you have to shake a big rubber wall back and forth. Imagine that the Helix is on the other side of this wall, and all it can do is see how much the wall is moving. If the wall is really thin, then it's easy to shake it at high and low frequencies. If the wall is thick and heavy, then it becomes pretty difficult to shake it quickly (so your high frequencies start to get attenuated). Of course, there's a lot more going on than just that, but that's a way to conceptualize it that might make intuitive sense.
Impedance is one of my least favorite words to say. No idea why 🤣🤣🤣. Just think of all the time I save not hanging on that e! Thats actually a great real world example of what it does. Thank you for adding that in here
Yo Steve! Thanks man, I watched all your vids in the week leading up to buying my helix floor. I liked what you said about the reverb signal chain, I was wondering if you’d ever want to make a video about that. Big brain on the dual cab thing. I managed to get some sounds that sound nearly identical to my Mark V
How have I not seen this yet?! Great succinct advice on the big ticket pain points of the Helix. I need to explore that unity’ish volume concept between the patch, err... preset vs bypass. Thanks!
Hi Steve ... Congrats on a great YT channel ... absolutely one of the best out there. Quality content, and complete absence of nonsense :). I have an idea for an Helix/Pod Go episode ... that I think could be cool .... Could you team up with i.e. you bass player in your band, and have a "make a great Bass tone" tutorial for the Pod Go ? There is mostly death metal tutorials for bass and Pod Go out there l.. so a proper Bass/Pod Go tutorial is sadly missing. Keep up the great work ... I watch every new video from you... Cheers Nils
On the ROD Go, I don't bother with OD/Dist blocks. I get the different gain and vol changes from the snapshots, and I get the extra squish and sustain for solos from a comp.
Probably mentioned in another one of Steve's vids, but: If you use the XLR out to the mixer board of a PA, MAKE SURE the phantom power is off on the Helix's channels. I don't think it will hurt the unit, but it makes everything sound like ass.
As always great information. I have the Helix a month and the powercab plus 112 a week or so. I got USB from Helix to computer and link cable from helix to powercab plus. I don't have usb from Powercab to computer I figured you don't need it connected with link line from helix. When I play youtube or music it goes thru the powercab. I would like to have my pa speakers getting the music. My PA speakers hooked to line 6 tone port. I probably have to change a setting on the computer.
Really great stuff! Funny because I use the Boss Katana but I plug the helix in the power amp input and then the out to the FOH, I can control my volume on the Katana if It needs more volume than the Helix is putting out, and not bothering the sound guy to turn up my monitors
Awesome use! I do a similar thing with the helix. I use xlr to house and 1/4inch to my stage sound (whatever back line or powercab if we are in the US ) with the big volume knob only controlling the stage volume and, like you, not touching the sound to FOH
I think the new Boss Katana allows you to just use the power section, so that may be why you see those comments. 1) My number one thing for any modeler is don't be beholden to the settings you use on your amp. Like you said, try different things. I've created presets then deleted all the blocks and started over a number of times. I wish they would give you the option of using two mics on the same cab. 2) If you like the big stereo choruses like in the 80s, sometimes I'll use two - one mono in front of the amp mainly for the rate, then a stereo one after for the width. Gives a neat interaction between them. 3) If you have both Stomp and Helix, build your basic rig on Stomp, save the presets, then put them in Helix to add the icing stuff you need on that. At a minimum, all your amps and levels will be the same and save some work.
@@SteveSterlacci thanks, honestly, I hadn't tried the dual cab because I just assumed it would take two blocks. But you have to have the separate cab block from the amp, correct?
@@Scott__C yup. Use just amp and then just cab block, click the tab to dual and you can page right to see the second cab. Important to note thats they're gonna be panned hard right and left until you put a mono effect in there
Hi Steve, I bought a Helix LT a couple of months ago. I'm loving the tones I can get out of it, and have a long way to go exploring all the possibilities. I'm taking on board your recommendations. I've adopted it as the interface to my recording setup (Logic Pro X) and I understand how to get the DI guitar into a track for reamping if necessary. However, it seems a bit long winded to record two tracks (patched and DI) and then use Helix Native on the DI later as necessary. Have I got this wrong as the workflow? What is your workflow for this? As an aside, it's a shame the Helix LT doesn't have an XLR input (I couldn't justify double the money for for the full Helix). Do you have a suggestion for how I could get my microphone into the Helix LT? I'm thinking I'll have to use my legacy interface and switch inputs in Logic for recording the mic input, which is not too big a deal but would be good if it could be avoided. BTW regarding "impedance", it's similar to electrical resistance and when you connect the output of one circuit to the input of another it's best if the impedance is "matched" so that the second circuit works as expected. An analogy is connecting a water hose to a sprinkler system. You should match the water pressure of the hose to that required for the sprinkler system to work properly. To low and the sprinklers won't spray, too high and something might burst.
Hey Gary! You are correct in recording the 2 tracks independently. The point of it is more of a fallback in case your recorded tone doesnt suit the mix in the end. For the mic, you could just use an adapter , but will never be able to send phantom power. You can also just pick up a cheap used focusrite for your mic. Just won't be able to use them both as interfaces at the same time
I'm a bit late to the Helix party, but the input impedance setting option seems a little odd. It is set "per preset", whereas I would have thought in would be a global setting like the guitar pad setting if it makes so much difference. Then, as per the pad setting, each preset can "decide" if the impedance setting would be global or a preset level tweak. Should also note that the impedance setting is something you can alter in a snapshot, which could save you the need for an early EQ block if you are just looking to cut highs or make warmer across snapshots. Regarding the Katana, I totally agree; however it is something I do at times for convenience when I am just wanting to practice playing, not trying to tone match etc. If the Katana is set to clean amp with no gain and no effects it is adequate as a home playback monitor. At this point I refer back to your first point about getting too bogged down in technicalities and not actually playing. If I didn't go the Katana route at times I think I would play less and maybe just stop due to lack of opportunity.
Going to look for Parallel FX video. Would also like to know how to add paths to a stock preset. Not just dragging a block down, but creating a new input path on an existing preset. For instance, I have a preset using my Variax mags, and I want to add a path that has a Variax 12 string along with it. Currently I go to templates, and recreate the whole preset. I know it can’t be that hard, nothing in Helix is. Gain structure is a big for me. I develop a new preset for every song, after a while they just creep up in volume, because my habit it to add, rather than cut.
Hi Steve! Great video, as always! IMPEDENCE: I've learned that the value is striclty related to how the guitar interact with Helix, I mean eg for each impedence level you can set on Helix, you can hear dinamic diffrences in just turning the GUITAR VOLUME POT... mainly usig some drien amp... Did you heve check?
This. High impedance = guitar volume pot cleans up when almost off, often around 1 or 2. Low impedance = guitar volume pot cleans up really early, around 8 or 9.
Great video. For all my presets I use a gain block near the end of the chain with either a +3 or +6 DB boost hooked up for solo boost. Then I have one setlist with them all +3 and another identical setlist for +6 db. So depending on venue, I load up one setlist or the other. Small venues with smaller stage stuff like electric drums etc, less boost. Large venues with acoustic drums, bigger bass cabs etc....larger boost. Anyhoo....let's say you have a small mixer with only 3-4 XLR that are all used for vocal mics so you have to run 1/4 inch into one of the remaining inputs......helix goes to MIC or LINE in this case?
Great tips Steve, never tried the impedance setting. Have to give that a look see when I get home. Is that also available on the STOMP?? P.S. Still waiting for the child info from you. John
@@SteveSterlacci fair point. I've got a Katana Head that I run into a Marshall 412, and have used the fx return as a "power amp in" on it before, and it's pretty killer sounding honestly. Have to turn off your cabs/irs in the Helix though, or it sounds bad. I had the Katana before I got the Helix, and it's a great amp.
Steve, regarding headphones, you mentioned the Beyerdynamics DT770. These come in various impedances: 16, 32, 80, 250 ohm, maybe others. I know that you said that you were not familiar with various impedance variable for Helix input. However, do you have any thought or comment regarding the various impedances on the Beyerdynamics DT 770? Thanks, Richard
What about for those of us using the stomp next to a powerstage 170 on top of a traditional guitar cabinet? We don’t need to mess with IRs, right? I’m using the stomp as my preamp tones essentially, while my Seymour Duncan powerstage powers the rig. Basically replaced my amp head with the stomp and powerstage. All the demos I am seeing are with the stomp straight into the FOH or computer or monitors; etc. and I’ve been dialing the stomp like I’d dial an amp. But I keep watching these demos and feeling like I’m missing an important element by skipping the cabs in my chain. I’ve adjusted the high and low cut in my global EQ and use compressors but besides that I just dial the stomp amps like my preamps and my powerstage like my power amp and try to maintain unity; and shove my effects into the correct part of the signal path.
Salut Steve, ton expertise semble tres intéressante mais pense à tous ceux qui ne comprennent pas ta langue, mêts un peu plus d'images de réglages de l'Hélix pour que nous puissions en profiter , merci pour tes vidéos.
Im new to helix so this is a beginner question , but when discussing IRs vs dual cabs , it is refering to a digital,setup in the helix right , not actual external cabs to play through ,
hi Steve, love your Channel I've learned good things about the Helix from you. Just for your information you are mispronouncing the word impedance. the way you pronounce it is what happens when a guy can't perform in the bedroom. the E should have a long sound like when your mother says eat your peas. Impedance is the resistance of an electrical circuit. Thanks for all your help just thought you should know.
Im guilty of pluguing the podgo in the efectes return of my katana head, is the only way I have of using only the poweramp and my 4*12 Marshall cab. Not lucky enough to have an FRFR cab yet...
@@SteveSterlacci its just easy now for rehersal, the plan is using just the podgo for giggging when its finally aloud. Thanks for the videos! Keep up the good work.
Hi Steve, your expertise sounds very interesting but think of all those who do not understand your language, put some more pictures of Helix settings so that we can enjoy it, thank you for your videos.
Gain staging for Powercab? Use the output block to boost your signal to the PC, or is there a magic number that you can use as a guide to push the signal to the ideal level as you build your preset? Basically I run my Helix to the PC and XLR out to the board so I can use the speaker models
New Helix owner agree makes no sense to plug into a modeling amp. I do have a Fender Cyber Deluxe for sale. I have considered plugging into that on a clean channel for now I have just used with headphones. Selling things to get the Powercab Plus. I do have some Powered PA speakers I can plug into for now.
the powered PA speakers will be nice! They do have a honkiness to them that always irritated me. The tweeters usually are the culprit. You can bypass it in the PC 112+
I love watching videos where you create a patch from scratch. Taking a blank preset (I mean patch) and creating the patch one block at a time then setting up the snapshots for the patch. I have a question. Can you still turn blocks on and off like in stomp mode while in an individual snapshot? I cant find this out no matter where I look!!! Please answer if you know. Im going to go watch some more videos on making a patch on the hx stomp. I love hx stomp patches. Patch patch patch. Love patches!!! Lol!
Hey Steve,do you ever get a preset tweaked to perfection,to where it’s the best sound you have ever gotten,only to come back to it the next day,and wonder what was I thinking??This sounds horrible...I do it all the time..
A few reasons i can think of. It's quite light and offers 3 wattage settings: .5w, 50w, 100w. Changing wattage doesnt affect your tone. So great for practicing at home or gigging volumes. Second, bypassing the preamp (power amp in) gives you access to a pretty good FRFR experience. Third, if you take the time to create a few basic patches within the katana, if the helix fails at a gig, you have an easy fail safe. Last, it sounds surprisingly good for the price point and there's a robust online community. Really liking your channel. Just found it!
I have tried both low impedance Sennheiser and high impedance Beyerdynamic headphones (both high quality headphones over $300) and am still getting somewhat fizzy results on high gain settings. Someone said the higher ohm is better for using on the Helix products so I bought them but I do not see much difference. The volume levels of the settings is better when lower. But if anyone has any suggestions for headphone monitoring for less fizzy high gain please let me know.
@@SteveSterlacci don't feel bad, I did the same thing in a recording engineering class in the 80's and was literally laughed at by the instructor and the entire class full of strangers. I still cringe just thinking about it. Needless to say I never made that mistake again...
That's true Steve you did save time and think about all the giggles you gave to everyone who knew how it is supposed to be pronounced ! Great video though !
1. Get your tone solid BEFORE adding IRs... you want the unique character of IRs to add, not fix. 2. EQ block after amp/cab. Cut those highs and lows.. adjust to the venue and room. 3. Don’t rely only on pedals to push the amp or generate drive, assign button or snapshot to multiple amp/cab/pedal setting simultaneously.
Steve, something odd I find is that if I remove the cabinet model from my preset, it sounds bad...guitar in to helix.....I am feeding the 1/4 outs to the effects return (power amp section) of an acoustic 100 W amp (loudbox 100) 2 way speaker combo....I haven't tried removing it on every patch but I have noticed it.....not sure why?
Because its meant to be a flatter response speaker. You need the cabinet modeling to sound like guitar cabinets. If you ran through a powered electric guitar cabinet, you could bypass the cabs. The acoustic 100 isn't a cabinet loaded with electric guitar speakers. It should sound bad without them 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@SteveSterlacci that' what a studio monitor is...a flat response powered speaker....so if I had studio monitors would it also sound bad without cabinet modelling in the helix?...because essentially, an acoustic combo is a relatively flat FRFR type speaker?
So, how do you work with the Helix as the audio interface when you need to work with more than the Helix to record? I mean, ASIO devices don't allow multiple devices to be connected at the same time (says the ASIO protocole), adding a software layer (MacOSX or Voicemeeter stuffs on windows) is always a cost in latency, and switching between ASIO devices is a massive PITA because it means the input/output of each tracks have to be re-routed for each device. So I don't know how you do this in an efficient way? Or maybe you only track guitar?
IF you need more than just guitar or tracking 1 at a time, just use your regular interface with multiple inputs. Unless you can use one of the paths in Helix for it. That can work as well...
I made a patch for the song I Ran by The Flock of Seagulls for my 80's cover band but the delay trails in snapshots aren't spilling over. It makes this weird sound when I switch snapshots. Is it because the delay is drastically different on each snapshot.
Ok thank you. I have learned a lot from your videos Steve! I would have been lost without the help of these videos from you and a few other people. I just got my Helix floor 4 days ago and ive got it set up and stage ready. Thanks again!
Hmmm i am not sure you can with PG, but it does have a separate "amp out" that can go to a speaker type of cab like the l6 powercab that has speaker models
Katana has a return for modelers to bypass the preamp and fx so that you’re just using the Katana’s power amp. Why? The Helix has more features, amps, and fx than Katana.
@@SteveSterlacci They’re probably plugging the Helix output directly into the amps’ input. Or they’re using an amps’ return (correct) but still trying to use cab sims in the Helix. For an amp, you have to set the Helix up properly and plug it into the amp correctly. Have to use the preamp only version of an amp model too.
1. back up your stuff religiously. Back up every day, before you start tweaking. 2. Find your "single source of truth" speaker/PA/headphones and base your sound in reference to that. 3. Do not rely on Global EQ, use Global EQ only as an emergency, to dial in some specific frequencies at a gig. (You've said that yourself) 3. Ear fatigue is real. What sounds amazing today, may sound like crap tomorrow............. now about trying things, if you connect your 4-cable method wrong, you can fry your helix and the amp.... if you connect it to "speaker out" accidentally.
Tech help: Studio Headphones (Cans) amzn.to/3cmfZ5t that you recommend: Which cans do you use/recommend in the video, that is, what impedance (sold by Ohms)? The answer I assume includes where you are monitoring, from your DAW (amped?) or from the Helix itself? I haven't got my Helix yet, so forgive the naivety. When monitoring, where are you plugging the cans into and therefore which headphone Ohm option is best? Thanks...
