Helix 3.8 when?

[Lele]

So, my question was more in that context. Is your combination of settings a bit like that?

I'd say really that it's a matter of preferences.
Just speaking for example about my favorite settings with high bias and very low bias X: among other things, this causes less crossover distortion. And crossover distortion (besides other sound impact that often I don't like) generates a little more odd harmonics.
Are odd harmonics bad?
Well, they are generally perceived a little more aggressive and, unlike even harmonics, they aren't one octave higher or multiples.
But all of this will just give a different character to the sound that you may like or not, often depending also on the context.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

I'd say really that it's a matter of preferences.
Just speaking for example about my favorite settings with high bias and very low bias X: among other things, this causes less crossover distortion. And crossover distortion (besides other sound impact that often I don't like) generates a little more odd harmonics.
Are odd harmonics bad?
Well, they are generally perceived a little more aggressive and, unlike even harmonics, they aren't one octave higher or multiples.
But all of this will just give a different character to the sound that you may like or not, often depending also on the context.

would you be so kind to paint some other contexts?

Does this also have to do with a more bluesy type of sound compared to metal (just two extremes of each other)?

Just trying to learn here :)

 

[Sascha Franck]

You don't really need to fool around with all these extended parameters. Use the standard tonestack, drive, master and channel volume parameters to get a sound in the ballpark of your desired gain, then fool around with some different cabs and then just play. Add drives. Add FX. That's the fun part of it.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

You don't really need to fool around with all these extended parameters. Use the standard tonestack, drive, master and channel volume parameters to get a sound in the ballpark of your desired gain, then fool around with some different cabs and then just play. Add drives. Add FX. That's the fun part of it.

The reason the extended tone stack are on 5 is probably because to keep it as neutral as possible?

And the standard tone stack (low, mid, high) is probably how the amp is intended to sound?

I play way to little with the FX and drives

 

[Sascha Franck]

The reason the extended tone stack are on 5 is probably because to keep it as neutral as possible?

Likely. As said, personally I do prefer to turn Hum, Ripple and Sag down. But I'd possibly get useful tones out of things without doing so. And especially all the newer amps seem to work pretty well without giving much about all the additional parameters (that you'd never adjust yourself on a real amp, either). Or to put it this way: In case you can't get a decent tone out of the stock parameters that the real amps would expose, it's likely not worth experimenting with the extended stuff. Once things are fine already, you can (and possibly even should) obviously use those parameters to fintune things. But I wouldn't start with it at all.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Likely. As said, personally I do prefer to turn Hum, Ripple and Sag down. But I'd possibly get useful tones out of things without doing so. And especially all the newer amps seem to work pretty well without giving much about all the additional parameters (that you'd never adjust yourself on a real amp, either). Or to put it this way: In case you can't get a decent tone out of the stock parameters that the real amps would expose, it's likely not worth experimenting with the extended stuff. Once things are fine already, you can (and possibly even should) obviously use those parameters to fintune things. But I wouldn't start with it at all.

Yeah makes sense. If you go to the store and try out a Fender Deluxe all these options are not their either.

 

[burningyen]

Any controls that don’t exist on the real amp are set to reflect the real amp’s behavior. Any controls that do exist on the real amp are set to where whoever programmed the defaults or the preset thought it sounded good.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Any controls that do exist on the real amp are set to where whoever programmed the defaults or the preset thought it sounded good.

Just that sometimes the defaults are pretty, pretty bad IMO (and it's not just my opinion by far). When you click through the amp+cab list from the top, using a medium output guitar, there's not one clean amp until you reach the Jazz Rivet. And it doesn't stop there, whomever did this seemed to have tried to make high gainers ouf of, say, the Tweed Blues and several others. IMO that's almost factually/historically wrong. Sure, these amps have as well been used to be cranked up the Wazoo, blooming around and all that - but pretty much everybody knows that they really shine when used in lower gain settings, especially in the delicate breakup area.
And while they possibly tried to make Neil Young proud with all those cranked, farting vintage machines, they also don't exactly lend to trying out the (partially excellent) dirt stomps, simply because an amp that is about to melt down will eat their character for breakfast.
One of my personal hot candidates for "the golden raspberry award of presets-gone-wrong" possibly has got to be the Brit J45 Nrm.
Anderson with a Duncan Mini HB in neck position (medium output, medium bright):



Yeah, that sure sounds like "wow, let me explore this device further!"
And really, it's like that with pretty much all defaults. Now, personally, I actually *do* know how to change things so they work, I also saved my own defaults (and quite some base presets) - but that's not what you do on first contact, even less so when this is your first contact with the modeling world.

Having said all that, it had gotten quite a lot better with the latest updates and their amp additions.
But still, if you want to get an idea of what most of the amps are like, you need to at least grab the Drive knob and pull it way down.

 

[BahamaDada]

Have you guys tried out the bass wah?

Really cool sweep for Drop B and generally lower guitars.

 

[spawnofthesith]

Have you guys tried out the bass wah?

Really cool sweep for Drop B and generally lower guitars.

I need to A/B it against my actual one still. I love the sweep on that wah, even for a standard tuned guitar