Helix 3.7: The Freeman Update

[SwirlyMaple]

Line6 loves to make "me too" products, dont they?

Fair.

 

[holoholo]

So 3.7 in time for holidays??

 

[Bob Zaod]

I'm spilling the beans. The new firmware will have Flooriax.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

I'm spilling the beans. The new firmware will have Flooriax.

Damn I always wanted one of those

 

[Frodebro]

Line6 loves to make "me too" products, dont they?

I think that this is fairly commonplace amongst all the manufacturers. When the first company introduces something new, customers of the remaining brands insist on having that feature added to their brand’s roster of goodies.

Kinda like cup holders in cars. Nobody knows who the first manufacturer was to add this feature, but it was popular enough that now it’s expected to be standard on everything these days.

 

[Orvillain]

 

[James Freeman]

I'm gonna go with some sort of small power amp for helix devices and the 'twist' is that they've got some power amp modelling in there which is the part everyone will want in helix to mix and match with the pre amps.

With a little research they can make a fully solid state power amp that behaves like a transformer coupled tube power amp and integrates modeled PI, NFB, Presence & Depth and interact with the real impedance curve of the connected cab.
The guitar modeling market sorely lacks such device and IMO is the missing link.

A 0.1Ω 1% 10W precision resistor in series with the speaker/cab can be used to measure the real impedance curve of the cab and make it part of the virtual circuit.
Just like measuring impedance of any speaker.

Impedance Measurement

Solid state amps like Randall and Bandit use the 0.1 resistor method so their NFB circuit interact with the real impedance of the cab.
Doing the same but sending it back to the modeler via ADC can be done.

No charge!

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

[…] with a really fun twist that will have a lot of people asking “when is [that really fun twist] coming to Helix?!” […]

Knobs.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

I think that this is fairly commonplace amongst all the manufacturers. When the first company introduces something new, customers of the remaining brands insist on having that feature added to their brand’s roster of goodies.

Kinda like cup holders in cars. Nobody knows who the first manufacturer was to add this feature, but it was popular enough that now it’s expected to be standard on everything these days.

I only said what I said due to the number of times DI has openly mentioned that they weren't all that interested in running the same routes that other manufacturers are unless it involves a tablestakes feature (like IRs were in 2015).

I'm only guessing and will gladly be proven wrong if/when they come out with a loadbox/poweramp/thing and probably buy one.

 

[norminal]

Knobs.

 

[HotRats]

With a little research they can make a fully solid state power amp that behaves like a transformer coupled tube power amp and integrates modeled PI, NFB, Presence & Depth and interact with the real impedance curve of the connected cab.
The guitar modeling market sorely lacks such device and IMO is the missing link.

100% man.

 

[vino_buono]

I am sure the new box is a small modeler with just the updated Plexi and JCM800 models, which will not find their way into the Helix

 

[Deadpan]

Nope. It’s a fairly obvious box for us to make, with a really fun twist that will have a lot of people asking “when is [that really fun twist] coming to Helix?!”

Will preface those comments with “it might not.”

Capture player? Haha

 

[Bob Zaod]

I guess I am (as usual) the weird one. I have played through Kempers quite extensively and also used ToneX and I just don't see/hear the big attraction with profiles or captures. It's the biggest reason the Headrush Prime didn't move the needle for me. I basically see it as a large MX5 with autotune and a mic input. I doubt the mic pre is any better than the one in Helix so I dont see my self degrading the quality of my vocals by plugging something inferior in to Studer pre-amps.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

I guess I am (as usual) the weird one. I have played through Kempers quite extensively and also used ToneX and I just don't see/hear the big attraction with profiles or captures.

If you *really* want the sound of your own personal rig in a small device, they’re the best way of achieving that.

Many people don’t use them that way, though. For them, the benefit is having someone else with experience dial in a great sound, and then not having to do any adjusting of your own. In theory, anyway.

Beyond that, yeah… modeling is a lot more flexible, and the best of it stands up well to profiles.

 

[dbagchee]

Yeah I feel the same about profiling. It’s fun for a short while to play with some specific amp that’s not modeled otherwise, but it’s not long until I want to play with settings and switches in the amp and it kills it. I much prefer having all the original dials and switches of the amp to explore.

 

[Deadpan]

For me it's about capturing the complete interaction of the speaker and amp. This truly isn't done perfectly with modelers today.

I know captures are only a snapshot but for me that's OK, I get to take the picture.

 

[James Freeman]

complete interaction of the speaker and amp.

I think most companies are aware of that by now, at least that each cab has its own impedance curve that directly affects the poweramp sound and its controls.

In my book, there is no next gen without addressing this. Fractal already did but it's still in-the-box only.
We need modelers that behave like tube amps when connected to real cabs, negative feedback and all, even if that means offering a proprietary poweramp with the modeler.

 

[Lysander]

We need modelers that behave like tube amps when connected to real cabs, negative feedback and all, even if that means offering a proprietary poweramp with the modeler.

Isn't that (sort of) Boss's new schtick?

 

[MirrorProfiles]

I think most companies are aware of that by now, at least that each cab has its own impedance curve that directly affects the poweramp sound and its controls.

In my book, there is no next gen without addressing this. Fractal already did but it's still in-the-box only.
We need modelers that behave like tube amps when connected to real cabs, negative feedback and all, even if that means offering a proprietary poweramp with the modeler.

Totally agree on this, and its actually something HW modellers have available to them (because they are often used with real cabs, or in a "band" environment) that you wouldn't really be able to take advantage of with a "direct" rig. I think for modellers to keep evolving and to be able to totally replace traditional amps, this is an obstacle that needs to be crossed. Good solid state amps are smaller and higher quality than ever so it would be interesting to see a modern take on it.

So far, it feels like modellers have abandoned the poweramp->cabinet part and left it to the user to understand/learn/figure out, and it ends up being an area that a lot of users get confused on. Even if they don't get confused, it seems very common for guitarists to not be able to decide on which route is best, they all have various compromises and uncertainly.