Helix Talk

[paisleywookiee]

So, ChatGPT is incredibly useful at times. I was curious how and if it's possible to set up a row as presets, and then another as Stomps or Snapshots. It explained how to do it, and presented alternatives for configuration. Really cool, and now the Stadium is even more promising for me.

 

[Vic Winters]

An update for HX One dropped last week.

 

[Aleksi]

An update for HX One dropped last week.

View attachment 54295

Thank you! I probably would've missed this one. The MIDI clock stuff is great and I can probably find a use for some of the new dynamics models.

 

[molul]

Had an idea for a Helix pitch block yesterday, while watching a Radiohead gig. There's no Ideascale anymore, so I'll post it here for @Digital Igloo in case he finds it interesting.

It would be an auto-octave transition. Similar to the feedbacker but without sustain (no need to press a footswitch to enable it; it just rings while your notes are ringing).

It would have these params:
-Octaves: 1-2 (it would need the poly pitch algorithm, and I'm not sure if "semitones" would be better than just octaves)
-Sustain time (the amount of time the effect waits to be applied)
-Pitch time (the amount of time of the transition from your note to the pitched one)

It would work like this:
-You play any note or notes and let them ring a certain amount of time ("sustain time")
-After that "sustain time", a crossfade (not a glissando) starts (set by "pitch time") to the same notes played one or two octaves higher while the notes are still ringing (no need to sustain them)
-Whenever you play any other note/s, or you strike the same note/s again (assuming both events are easy to detect), you get back to your normal pitch and the effect is fired again.


The idea is to emulate the behaviour of an Ebow in harmonic mode, but without the sustain (that is, like the current feedbacker but without having to press a footswitch because no sustain would be applied). You rely on your guitar sustain.

I sold my Ebow long ago and rely on my Sustainiac pickup only, and the harmonic mode goes either to two octaves higher or some other pitch in other strings/frets. I miss that "transition to one octave higher", and with this effect and my Sustainiac in normal mode, I could have that Ebow thing again.

 

[burningyen]

Had an idea for a Helix pitch block yesterday, while watching a Radiohead gig. There's no Ideascale anymore, so I'll post it here for @Digital Igloo in case he finds it interesting.

It would be an auto-octave transition. Similar to the feedbacker but without sustain (no need to press a footswitch to enable it; it just rings while your notes are ringing).

It would have these params:
-Octaves: 1-2 (it would need the poly pitch algorithm, and I'm not sure if "semitones" would be better than just octaves)
-Sustain time (the amount of time the effect waits to be applied)
-Pitch time (the amount of time of the transition from your note to the pitched one)

It would work like this:
-You play any note or notes and let them ring a certain amount of time ("sustain time")
-After that "sustain time", a crossfade (not a glissando) starts (set by "pitch time") to the same notes played one or two octaves higher while the notes are still ringing (no need to sustain them)
-Whenever you play any other note/s, or you strike the same note/s again (assuming both events are easy to detect), you get back to your normal pitch and the effect is fired again.


The idea is to emulate the behaviour of an Ebow in harmonic mode, but without the sustain (that is, like the current feedbacker but without having to press a footswitch because no sustain would be applied). You rely on your guitar sustain.

I sold my Ebow long ago and rely on my Sustainiac pickup only, and the harmonic mode goes either to two octaves higher or some other pitch in other strings/frets. I miss that "transition to one octave higher", and with this effect and my Sustainiac in normal mode, I could have that Ebow thing again.

You can approximate this using the expression pedal to crossfade into the pitch-shifted note, but your foot would be busy.

 

[molul]

You can approximate this using the expression pedal to crossfade into the pitch-shifted note, but your foot would be busy.

Correct. It's like wah and auto wah.

 

[ian_dissonance]

I wonder if I can do it with the GT1K?

 

[Lele]

It would work like this:
-You play any note or notes and let them ring a certain amount of time ("sustain time")
-After that "sustain time", a crossfade (not a glissando) starts (set by "pitch time") to the same notes played one or two octaves higher while the notes are still ringing (no need to sustain them)
-Whenever you play any other note/s, or you strike the same note/s again (assuming both events are easy to detect), you get back to your normal pitch and the effect is fired again.

If I understand correctly, this is how I used to love setting up the Whammy (pitch shift) effect on my old Digitech RP500.
You can hear this effect in this very old short music I wrote here (at 1:05):

I assigned the expression pedal to control the mix parameter instead of the pitch itself, while keeping the pitch-shifted note fixed one octave higher.
You can achieve the same setup with the Helix!

 

[banned]

Does Helix have a Digitech Whammy equivalent?

 

[molul]

If I understand correctly, this is how I used to love setting up the Whammy (pitch shift) effect on my old Digitech RP500.
You can hear this effect in this very old short music I wrote here (at 1:05):

I assigned the expression pedal to control the mix parameter instead of the pitch itself, while keeping the pitch-shifted note fixed one octave higher.
You can achieve the same setup with the Helix!

Love it! I want exactly that, but automated instead of having to use the exp pedal

 

[dronerstone]

Does Helix have a Digitech Whammy equivalent?

More than one.

Bookmark this: https://helixhelp.com/

 

[Jarick]

I gave my friend my HX Stomp as I'm not using it and he doesn't have anything to play guitar through outside of a cheap old Vox Valvetronix combo. He's having a ball ripping through a decade's worth of modeling improvements.

 

[EOengineer]

I gave my friend my HX Stomp as I'm not using it and he doesn't have anything to play guitar through outside of a cheap old Vox Valvetronix combo. He's having a ball ripping through a decade's worth of modeling improvements.

This is awesome. That should be fun to watch.

A relative recently brought up the original Pod I’d brought over once and let them check out through headphones for a couple hours. I just kind of shook my head.

I can’t imagine STARTING guitar with today’s modeling. It’s kind of not fair.

 

[laxu]

I can’t imagine STARTING guitar with today’s modeling. It’s kind of not fair.

I would imagine it's hugely daunting. "What am I supposed to do with all these mics? How the hell do I switch between a clean and overdriven tone? What's with all these parameters?"

Most of us here have been using modelers for well over a decade at this point so we know how to work most units. But imagine having to start from scratch.

My first modeler ever was a 1998 Yamaha DG80 combo with motorized pots. I thought I did something wrong when I pressed the preset recall switch at a store and the pots started moving by themselvs. This had IMO one of the all-time best user interfaces on a modeler ever made, but it was extremely confusing to someone who had never used anything with more than a few knobs so things like presets, multiple amp models etc seemed like magic.

I got interested in the amp when I saw someone much better than me play Dream Theater riffs on it. He sounded great!

 

[Jarick]

This is awesome. That should be fun to watch.

A relative recently brought up the original Pod I’d brought over once and let them check out through headphones for a couple hours. I just kind of shook my head.

I can’t imagine STARTING guitar with today’s modeling. It’s kind of not fair.

Oh he's been playing as long as I have for about 30 years. He does not like digital modeling and gave me a ton of crap back in the day for buying a Pod XT when they first came out. He's always been a tube amp guy but quit playing for many years especially after getting married and having kids. So he's been getting back into it the last year or two but of course with the family needs low/no volume.

I had him come over and check out a bunch of stuff...dream rig for headphones is probably a Bogner Ecstasy through an Ox Box but that's not happening. I set up the Friedman IR-X which was cool but needs some effects after it to work well for headphones and for more fun. He's completely out on anything that needs a computer or editor because like me he works on computers all day long and has zero interest in that stuff.

So what made the most sense as an all in one was the HX Stomp. It's not the best at any one thing but it can do a full range of amp and cab modeling, has tons of effects, can drive headphones, and doesn't require a computer to operate. There's a learning curve but that's expected.

 

[ragingplatypi]

I gave my friend my HX Stomp as I'm not using it and he doesn't have anything to play guitar through outside of a cheap old Vox Valvetronix combo. He's having a ball ripping through a decade's worth of modeling improvements.

I did the same thing a month ago, and I was just laughing as the texts came rolling in as he discovered something else new and cool.

 

[Jarick]

I did the same thing a month ago, and I was just laughing as the texts came rolling in as he discovered something else new and cool.

That was yesterday exactly! Like a kid in a candy store!

 

[molul]

I just tried the Ampeg SVT-4 PRO with a Schecter Hellcat VI with Fender 250B6 Bass VI strings, and this sounds amazing.

It's the first time I've felt this instrument like a true bass and not just "something close, but it's its own thing". The amp model is great, but these strings are a must-have for any Bass VI.

 

[paisleywookiee]

I just tried the Ampeg SVT-4 PRO with a Schecter Hellcat VI with Fender 250B6 Bass VI strings, and this sounds amazing.

It's the first time I've felt this instrument like a true bass and not just "something close, but it's its own thing". The amp model is great, but these strings are a must-have for any Bass VI.

I’ve been using the Stringjoy 26-95 on my Ibanez SRC6, which are quite nice too.

 

[EOengineer]

Holy mother of god the Brit MegaBass preset with a vintage spec tele and the bright drive cranked is FUCKING KILLER. Superbass for the win.