Line 6 Helix Stadium Pre-Launch Discussion

[HomespunEffects]

Obviously you would eq for the song
But my point is frequently by multiple producers Algae
Baseford they will cut low end on guitars
Listen to isolated stems Van Halen , Randy Rhodes and even Metallica master of puppets has way less low end coming from the guitar than you would imagine
A Mesa boogie amp in a room has a lot of lows and it’s not as present in the final mixes

I’m just over here randomly moving sliders though. I like the shape they make.

 

[HomespunEffects]

Hmm, I wonder if a HPF at 80Hz would mitigate a DC offset.

 

[Orvillain]

but just like “I always cut this and this” isn’t how people who do it, do it.

Ultimately, this is the only thing that needs to be said. Every mix I ever worked on was different, from song to song, and even from section to section within the same song. Because context.

Asserting that XYZ always needs to be done, is just wrong.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Because there’s no point to producing anything beyond those points.

What if you were to use downtunings? Or a bass? Or an acoustic guitar?

 

[LScottK]

This is the problem with bad mix/tone advice on the internets - everyone just takes it for gospel. I remember loads of the amateurs on the Sneap forum saying that they use templates with a 100hz high-pass filter on every track except the kick and bass, and it's like... no wonder your mixes sound like doggy-doo-doo.

There, internets is the problem. It is heavily infiltrated by the deep state. If you search the interwebs instead, that's where all the secret knowledge is. And it's always right and always true. All the time. Every time. I know this is so. One of the Teletubbies told me so.

 

[GTR37]

What if you were to use downtunings? Or a bass? Or an acoustic guitar?

You might have to clean that up even more depending on how many tracks and what else is the mix if you want it tight
If gorilla fart is what you are going for by all means boost the sub frequencies

 

[GTR37]

Ultimately, this is the only thing that needs to be said. Every mix I ever worked on was different, from song to song, and even from section to section within the same song. Because context.

Asserting that XYZ always needs to be done, is just wrong.

True but there are certainly area that producer will look to control low end buildup is going to be one of those areas
So to say the big guys don’t have a tool kit or process or template that they will go to first would be incorrect

Your statement about using no filtering is an odd one because pretty every modern hi gain amp you love has a ton of it , and it’s cutting bass somewhere in the circuit

As always there are exceptions to the rule
But controlling low end buildup on heavy rock guitar tracks is something that producers do pretty much every time

 

[EOengineer]

Your statement about using no filtering is an odd one because pretty every modern hi gain amp you love has a ton of it , and it’s cutting bass somewhere in the circuit

I read that statement more as a preference to avoid high pass or low pass filters because of the phase smearing they can cause. You’ll sometimes see folks prefer shelves instead, as they tend to be a little more transparent IF you have to use EQ. I just try to avoid EQ as much as possible period.

 

[GTR37]

I read that statement more as a preference to avoid high pass or low pass filters because of the phase smearing they can cause. You’ll sometimes see folks prefer shelves instead, as they tend to be a little more transparent IF you have to use EQ. I just try to avoid EQ as much as possible period.

Ah fair point , I can see that

 

[Orvillain]

True but there are certainly area that producer will look to control low end buildup is going to be one of those areas

never said otherwise

So to say the big guys don’t have a tool kit or process or template that they will go to first would be incorrect

never said that

Your statement about using no filtering is an odd one because pretty every modern hi gain amp you love has a ton of it , and it’s cutting bass somewhere in the circuit

for a live tone, far less filtering is used as a baseline anyway, and my initial opening gambit would be to try to avoid it

As always there are exceptions to the rule

There are no rules

But controlling low end buildup on heavy rock guitar tracks is something that producers do pretty much every time

Yes I know, I've done it.

I read that statement more as a preference to avoid high pass or low pass filters because of the phase smearing they can cause. You’ll sometimes see folks prefer shelves instead, as they tend to be a little more transparent IF you have to use EQ. I just try to avoid EQ as much as possible period.

Yes this is part of it for sure. I'd nearly always go for a shelf than a LP or HP, because they don't fuck the phase as much. But your last point is also what I go for.

 

[HomespunEffects]

What if you were to use downtunings? Or a bass? Or an acoustic guitar?

I’ll let you know if that ever happens.

 

[Digital Igloo]

What a douchebag.

"I'm not buying the product because I don't need some of its features".

So, you don't use, say, MIDI, along with whatever device. "Boohoo, I'm not buying this device because it has MIDI! The MIDI-caused complexity is too much for me, boohoo!"
That's essentially what he's saying.

Yep. "No one needs an expensive Lamborghini because my 1998 Ford Focus gets me to church, the bingo hall, and the 99¢ Only store just fine."

Thanks for inviting us into the pain of that process. Insightful. I’m just going to point and call it “The Unit” from here on out.

I wasn’t trying to critique the name. I just thought maybe there was something that drove the decision other than it being the least dumb sounding option.

Wasn't quoting you, amigo. You're golden.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Yep. "No one needs an expensive Lamborghini because my 1998 Ford Focus gets me to church, the bingo hall, and the 99¢ Only store just fine."

Wasn't quoting you, amigo. You're golden.

I'd much rather have a Helix Stadium than a 1998 Ford Focus.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

I'd much rather have a Helix Stadium than a 1998 Ford Focus.

I'd even rather have a 1998 Line 6 POD than a 1998 Ford Focus.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I'd even rather have a 1998 Line 6 POD than a 1998 Ford Focus.

At least the pod is a classic now

 

[AlbertA]

If such a thing is even possible, it would be interesting to learn if knowledge from Agoura’s new tooling has trickled into any of the harder to pull off fuzz and drive effects. Fuzz is definitely one of those areas where modeling seems to show its edges, and one of the areas I poke at when each new gen platform comes around. Helix fuzzes were significantly better than the previous generation.

Even with a perfect digital model, some fuzzes (a lot?) have low input impedance, loading your guitar pickups, changing their response, which the digital device won't do - It's the same effect as adding a buffered pedal in front of those fuzzes.

 

[sashimi]

Even with a perfect digital model, some fuzzes (a lot?) have low input impedance, loading your guitar pickups, changing their response, which the digital device won't do - It's the same effect as adding a buffered pedal in front of those fuzzes.

Don’t most modelers have variable input impedance?

I think helix does fuzz pretty well. I like arbitrator and pocket fuzz.

 

[HotRats]

I've just saw the Plexi sound sample video and that one sounds really good for sure.

 

[AlbertA]

Don’t most modelers have variable input impedance?

I think helix does fuzz pretty well. I like arbitrator and pocket fuzz.

The Axe-Fx III and Helix do have a few choices for the input impedance with a selectable R and/or RC passive component bank, but some Fuzz pedals, like the Fuzz face for example, connect the input straight to the transistors, which means the input impedance is non-linear, therefore signal dependent, not just a passive RC network.

My original point is that, there's limits to accurately emulating some fuzz pedals (the unbuffered ones) in just the digital domain.

 

[mbenigni]

until I see a stadium next to a hot tub... it's all hearsay

Hotub.

Jeez, is nothing sacred?