Helix 3.7: The Freeman Update

[TubeStack]

This i Find to be a very powerful tone shaper in the Fractal

View attachment 6850

Yes! I started a thread about it here, too. I would love it if my Stomp had something similar with impedance curves.

 

[Stone]

Yeah this would be a wonderful addition to HX but I have some doubts about the feasibility of it at this (assumed) late stage of the game for L6 given what they’ve divulged about their modeling process.

In Fractal world, is this just a static EQ or is there more going on that actually replicates all the impedance characteristics?

IronSean has good explanation over at the Fractal Forum

Speaker impedance curve

Can someone explain in simpleton terms, What the speaker impedance curve is used for, and why when I select the window that lets you choose a configuration, only a small portion of the speakers that are available within the Axe fx 3 are present? How would I choose a curve for a fender amp...

forum.fractalaudio.com

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Big same. I spent a couple years in the 2010s building my own fx. At one I remember having half a dozen FuzzFace builds laying around with different input caps, transistor types, volume pot values and tapers, etc. there was an eventual moment of sanity where I realized nobody cared whether my fuzz was perfectly biased or had perfectly ranged transistor gains. I had to force myself away from that time sink so I could get back to focusing on making music.

That’s not to say that the details don’t matter, but it’s a sliding scale for sure.

Yup I had the same realisation but my white whale was the Klon. Man I built bloody tons of those before coming to my senses.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Judging by the number of pros touring with Kempers or actual tube amps, I’m not sure high profile == requiring complex features

Ok, make that "different" features.
Out of the folks I know using modelers in a professional environment, nobody is asking for new amps or pedals, regardless of the modeler used.

 

[Digital Igloo]

I have an interesting question for everyone.
Do you think that more advanced features are not often implemented because Line 6 sees their customers as average Joe's?

edit:
And do you see yourself as an average Joe that is less likely to touch the advanced features?

I mean, if two requested features require the same amount of design/engineering effort and Feature A affects 5x the number of users than Feature B, we'll prioritize Feature A.

Obviously, we'd love to give everyone everything (aside from dumb things like cupholders and whatnot), but we pick our battles very carefully, and projects require careful ROI studies. For example, when the engineer clearly best suited to implement a particular amp, effect, or feature is working on 17 other things, that particular amp, effect, or feature sits and waits until they free up. Or sometimes it's 90% done but requires additional DSP tools to realize its full potential and the guru best suited to create those DSP tools is working on 23 other things. Or sometimes firmware is done but the software team is working on 31 other things. For some amps, effects, and features, it may take many months (or even years) for the stars to align.

If the answer is "hire more engineers," yeah, we've been doing that. It's always hard finding the right people but our team is positively smoking right now.

The important takeaway is that we're never not incredibly busy. At no point have we ever sat around, twiddling our thumbs, mumbling "gee willikers! What should we work on now?" There's this massive list of products, amps, effects, design elements, features, collaborations, and long-term R&D efforts that have been there since 2011 or so and we reprioritize the order often.

Yes, that'd be one way to put it.
In the end, there's only a certain amount of human resources (aka man power) available for development.
And in case 99% of your users are asking for more amps, more pedals, more FX and such, in case all these "demands" are already eating up more than 100% of your human resources, so you have to skip quite some of them already, it's very unlikely that esoteric wishes such as global blocks, modulators and what not, hence all the things only requested by 1% of your user base are pretty much worth nothing in the big picture anymore. In the end, you rather lose 1% of your customers than 99%.

Obviously, all this only works to a certain extent, because at one point in time you do need to at least care about some more advanced things, otherwise you might risk losing some high profile users.
But then, on the contrary, these days, you may not need high profile users anymore. It's quite sufficient in case you're satisfying some gearfluencers, which very often are just pimped versions of average Joe.

This isn't too far off on perhaps a subconscious level, but to be honest, internal conversations never go like this. They're always a lot more top level, like "what's the most/best we can accomplish with the sound design and engineering resources we have at our disposal over this particular timeframe?"

When it comes to compartmentalizing users by technical prowess, the power user is a very small market. The vast majority of household name artists touring the world are far from power users, and their choice of multieffect is as much their guitar tech's as it is theirs, for better or worse (sometimes because they have no idea how to navigate it, much less program it, much less organize everything for an arena performance). There are of course exceptions, but generally, y'all are way more sophisticated than these cats, so the notion of "high end for artists" is way less a thing than it is "high end for online nerds (myself included) who talk a lot and can sometime influence less sophisticated users, including artists."

Plus, some of the tweakier features that people adore but take for granted were things we personally wanted, because we're also nerds.

Ok, make that "different" features.
Out of the folks I know using modelers in a professional environment, nobody is asking for new amps or pedals, regardless of the modeler used.

We get a lot of effects requests from artists. Amp models less so because they've already found their amp sound. Quite a few of the feature requests we get from artists are already in Helix; they just didn't know they were there.

Don't want to name names (because a certain company actively tries to snipe our roster), but there are a handful of big touring artists who I ADORE speaking with. They're total geeks through-and-through, and we'll dive deep into the rabbit hole, sometimes on a monthly basis.

 

[Orvillain]

because a certain company actively tries to snipe our roster

If it is who I'm thinking of, I'm rapidly losing enthusiasm for them as well.

 

[the swede]

(aside from dumb things like cupholders and whatnot),

An LT could easily have an sliding click in/out spring tension cup holder… man that would be amazing. Not dumb…

(I once opened a friends LT because one of those jack lock tabs fell off and some weird part happened to get inside. There’s a lot of air in an LT…. Due to its magnificent design of course. A perfect gig and performance size of course… not trying to schmooze at all….

 

[Foxmeister]

aside from dumb things like cupholders and whatnot

New Line 6 original compressor, "The Cupholder" confirmed for 3.7!

 

[norminal]

I have an interesting question for everyone.
Do you think that more advanced features are not often implemented because Line 6 sees their customers as average Joe's?

edit:
And do you see yourself as an average Joe that is less likely to touch the advanced features?

I use both the Helix and Fractal products. I’m far from an “Average Joe” when it comes to computers, electronics, etc. But when it comes to playing guitar and creating music, for me, less is more. I’ve always felt that there should be a “Hide Advanced Parameters” toggle in the Axe-FX so that only the “real life” parameters are accessible.

The lack of these parameters in the Helix is what keeps bringing me back to their UI. The quicker I can dial in a tone and not worry about the granularity, the quicker I can be creative. If it’s not immediate accessible, I won’t use use it. Yes, I can just simply ignore those parameters in the Axe-FX, but I’d much rather be able to hide them completely. It’s definitely a psychological thing. Probably a product of my OCD or minimalistic mindset.

With that said, I absolutely adore my HX Stomp. But my FM3 is an absolute tonal beast.

 

[Stone]

I use both the Helix and Fractal products. I’m far from an “Average Joe” when it comes to computers, electronics, etc. But when it comes to playing guitar and creating music, for me, less is more. I’ve always felt that there should be a “Hide Advanced Parameters” toggle in the Axe-FX so that only the “real life” parameters are accessible.

The lack of these parameters in the Helix is what keeps bringing me back to their UI. The quicker I can dial in a tone and not worry about the granularity, the quicker I can be creative. If it’s not immediate accessible, I won’t use use it. Yes, I can just simply ignore those parameters in the Axe-FX, but I’d much rather be able to hide them completely. It’s definitely a psychological thing. Probably a product of my OCD or minimalistic mindset.

With that said, I absolutely adore my HX Stomp. But my FM3 is an absolute tonal beast.

Well isn't that the beauty of the Fractal Eco System? tabs from authentic to deep dive use at your discretion and pleasure
not to mention most of the presets are killer
So its easy to dial in, and if your not totally happy you know there are many parameters to adjust to your liking

And personally i find working with Knobs gives me a better understanding visually

 

[norminal]

Well isn't that the beauty of the Fractal Eco System? tabs from authentic to deep dive use at your discretion and pleasure
not to mention most of the presets are killer
So its easy to dial in, and if your not totally happy you know there are many parameters to adjust to your liking

I gotta be able to hide all of that, specifically from the front panel, which is where I dial in my tones 95% of the time. Like I said, it’s definitely psychological.

 

[the-trooper]

And personally i find working with Knobs gives me a better understanding visually

If you say "knobs, knobs, knobs" out loud, I pop up from your modeler.

The same for "sliders, sliders, sliders", but you get @Digital Igloo. You decide which one you'd rather have.

 

[James Freeman]

Helix JCM800 2203 Request Thread

I thought I should clean the Helix threads form my repetitive JCM800 requests, to keep things cleaner and so people know what thread NOT to read. I will slowly moving all my JCM800 posts and memes here. Sorry for being annoying AF, this should mitigate it a little. Also, my old JCM800 thread...

thegearforum.com

 

[kartikg3]

Dear Line 6, can we have 2203, 2204, 800 that has the stock KERRANG please?
The "A/B tone test" segment demonstrates how it should sound, even without the bright cap the real 2203 is nice and crunchy, our Helix 2204 sounds like a bad fuzz box in comparison.

No other amp model in the Helix does that Marshall crunchy crunch like in this video, believe me I tried.

+1000000000

I am a sucker for the jcm800 Kerrang. Tonex nailed it (the software version, I don't have the pedal). Even the NUX MG300 got it pretty good.

Come on line 6, this one is a classic that really needs to be in there. Pretty please.

I can imagine this model becoming a great preamp/drive model choice for non-mid-forward blues breaker or even BD2 things with that bright Kerrang bite in place.

 

[EOengineer]

Dear Line 6, can we have 2203, 2204, 800 that has the stock KERRANG please?
The "A/B tone test" segment demonstrates how it should sound, even without the bright cap the real 2203 is nice and crunchy, our Helix 2204 sounds like a bad fuzz box in comparison.

No other amp model in the Helix does that Marshall crunchy crunch like in this video, believe me I tried.

IMO L6 lost the thread on 800s back in the podXT 2.0 update and seemingly never recovered due to someone’s fixation on a modded jcm they had access to from the guitarist in Vertical Horizon or something like that IIRC. The original v1 firmware on podXT had an AMAZING stock 800 with all the Kerrang you could ever imagine. They replaced it in fw 2.0 (maybe the only time they’ve ever flat out replaced a model?) and it absolutely neutered the amp. They’ve never recovered. Every 800 has been hot trash since. It’s a pain point I tolerate because L6 has done so many other things so well.

The HX 2204 reminds me of that disappointment. WAY too much gain, with WAY too much mush, and none of the crushed glass upper mid/treble bite that basically DEFINED the “PUT A LES PAUL THROUGH A MARSHALL AND ITS THE SOUND OF ROCK N ROLL” tone recipe we know and love.

FWIW I’ve found that I CAN get great Plexi 4 hole kerrang with Brit Trem Brt, and have matched it VERY closely to my 1959 head in recordings, but I cannot get the L6 2204 anywhere near my 2204 head until I bypass the amp’s bright cap and push the drive up WAY beyond where it’s functionally useful.

I will say that there are some interesting tones to be had from the L6 2204 with single coils (I play teles A LOT), but IMO there are other amps that do those tones better. L6…we need an 800. Not some guys opinionated modded one, not one with a bunch of extra bells and whistles…an 800. One that we can plug a LP into and SMILE.

 

[JiveTurkey]

IMO L6 lost the thread on 800s back in the podXT 2.0 update and seemingly never recovered due to someone’s fixation on a modded jcm they had access to from the guitarist in Vertical Horizon or something like that IIRC. The original v1 firmware on podXT had an AMAZING stock 800 with all the Kerrang you could ever imagine. They replaced it in fw 2.0 (maybe the only time they’ve ever flat out replaced a model?) and it absolutely neutered the amp. They’ve never recovered. Every 800 has been hot trash since. It’s a pain point I tolerate because L6 has done so many other things so well.

The HX 2204 reminds me of that disappointment. WAY too much gain, with WAY too much mush, and none of the crushed glass upper mid/treble bite that basically DEFINED the “PUT A LES PAUL THROUGH A MARSHALL AND ITS THE SOUND OF ROCK N ROLL” tone recipe we know and love.

FWIW I’ve found that I CAN get great Plexi 4 hole kerrang with Brit Trem Brt, and have matched it VERY closely to my 1959 head in recordings, but I cannot get the L6 2204 anywhere near my 2204 head until I bypass the amp’s bright cap and push the drive up WAY beyond where it’s functionally useful.

I will say that there are some interesting tones to be had from the L6 2204 with single coils (I play teles A LOT), but IMO there are other amps that do those tones better. L6…we need an 800. Not some guys opinionated modded one, not one with a bunch of extra bells and whistles…an 800. One that we can plug a LP into and SMILE.

Vertical Herizon should have been the tip-off

 

[EOengineer]

Vertical Herizon should have been the tip-off

I’m sure it seemed like a great idea at the time 20 years ago when we were all convinced 800s didn’t have enough gain to play anything fun, but most of us know better now and have come to accept that circuit for what it is. We have fire breathing saturation monsters all over the place when we want infinity gain and subdued top end response.

If anything my tastes have inverted and I’m always looking for an 800 to add clarity and bite to my tones while backing gain DOWN.

Growing up is weird.

 

[James Freeman]

Conspiracy Alert;
I think it's a matter of "says 2204 on the tin, it's good enough for Joe".
The 2204 model has been called out to be fixed many times since 2015, to no avail.
At this point in time Line 6 is synonymous with bad Marshall models.

 

[EOengineer]

At this point in time Line 6 is synonymous with bad Marshall models.

Eh, that’s going a bit far. The Brit Trem model is quite close to my 1959, and on par with other 4 hole Marshalls I’ve spent time with. Similarly, I think their JTM45 is pretty close to my memory of the old one we used to have in the collection at one of the studios I used to work in.

My issue is solely with the 800 (and dual rec and mark IV )

 

[James Freeman]

Hence the sarcastic conspiracy alert, Brit Plexi Brightt doesn't have a bright cap either which I would expect to be in a Super Lead circuit form any era.