NMD: Line 6 Helix Floor

TubeStack said:
Having a blast with the Helix. I am very comfortable and "at home" in the HX world and really enjoying working with the HX Queen. :love

A few updates:

- I LOVE using it as an "HXFX Deluxe" in 4cm with my Electra Dyne; definitely its best and most-fitting use for my needs, just can't say enough about how great it is in this application, for me :chef

- so good to have all my favourite HX effects available, just makes me happy

- really love how quick it is to touch a switch and have all/most of the parameters instantly on the perfectly-sized screen, with the knobs directly under them (I prefer this latter aspect to the QC's switches-as-knobs, but slightly off kilter to the screen setup); and I now agree with @Orvillain that this is preferable to a touchscreen and/or switches as knobs; also much faster and easier than the HXFX or Stomp

- I'll be honest, I've had a "jury is still out" feeling regarding the amp models, having come from Fractal/QC/Kemper, and not ever exploring HX's much with my Stomp
- however, I've been getting great sounds with the MK IV Lead
- AND, this morning I discovered the Bogner Shiva - which I know has similarities to my Dyne - and I am LOVING that one :love
> I didn't even know this model was in there ("German Mahadeva" did not make a connection in my brain :grin)

- overall I'm feeling like HX amp models have really improved over the years, with the oversampling update from a while ago, and deserve further credit/exploration on my part

- I'm also looking forward to trying some vocal processing on my "singing ":farley with my band and got some great tips and a fully laid-out signal path from @Digital Igloo to try out, literally five minutes after I posted a question asking for help here :love

> that kind of customer service and care ^^^ is really something special about L6 and DEFINITELY something NDSP could learn from, there is no comparison, really

Other points:

- the Gator case is pretty awesome, but with the Helix inside it is pretty heavy, as mentioned; I looked it up and it totals 26 lbs, which is the same as some tube amp heads... :rofl; if there is any point that could cause me to breakup/look elsewhere, as @la szum so cynically-yet-realistically predicted, it's probably this one; my little Stomp + HX One Metro 20 board is WAY easier to cart around, no doubt

- however, if I can build up enough pure love and can't-go-without-it sentiment for the Floor, the kind I have for my 43 lb Electra Dyne head, it bodes much better for the long term, sticking-with-it potential, as I'm far likelier to deal with it if I have that kind of ongoing happiness

- also, there's the "inconvenience offstage for more convenience on stage" approach, which could work in the Floor's favour, too

- I do love how there are not a bunch of tiny power + guitar cables to worry about, or connections between pedals, etc; very easy to set up and take down, overall
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Agree with everything here except - predictably - your preference for the Helix UI. I do feel that the QC touchscreen adds a lot of value and lets NDSP “flatten” a lot of the presentation - especially in the way so much of the global setup is so visual/ intuitive, with very little menu diving.

As for the encoder positioning, once you accept a form factor as large as Helix Floor, placement of controls is much easier to optimize. For me, having more encoders on a smaller device, with more spacing between them, was an epiphany on QC.

No doubt Line 6 wins on customer service by a country mile. I’ll never forget the way Frank would reach out and generously address issues before I’d even reported them, just because he’d noticed my mentioning them in some random TOP post. Just amazing.
 
Apparently, you haven't been paying attention to Tubestack's escapades as closely as I have. :knit

I only repeat his previous posts and thoughts about his experience with other platforms back
to him in my own voice and words. He doesn't always like or appreciate it, though. Do you,
@TubeStack ???


:sofa


:rofl

:beer
 
la szum said:
Apparently, you haven't been paying attention to Tubestack's escapades as closely as I have. :knit

I only repeat his previous posts and thoughts about his experience with other platforms back
to him in my own voice and words. He doesn't always like or appreciate it, though. Do you,
@TubeStack ???


:sofa


:rofl

:beer
Click to expand...

Not at all, that’s why I said “cynically yet realistically,” meaning your prediction is realistic/accurate. I was also making the same point, ie. that if there’s a dealbreaker, it’ll be the size/weight.

mbenigni said:
Agree with everything here except - predictably - your preference for the Helix UI. I do feel that the QC touchscreen adds a lot of value and lets NDSP “flatten” a lot of the presentation - especially in the way so much of the global setup is so visual/ intuitive, with very little menu diving.

As for the encoder positioning, once you accept a form factor as large as Helix Floor, placement of controls is much easier to optimize. For me, having more encoders on a smaller device, with more spacing between them, was an epiphany on QC.
Click to expand...

Great points. The QC touchscreen is especially effective for getting around from preset to preset, managing and moving them, etc. I did find it super fast when getting a bunch ready for my band in a short amount of time.

As for the knobs, I’m just really liking the them being directly under parameters more than I thought I would, especially after so much time with the HXFX, but I see your point about size vs convenience, etc.

I do still love the QC UI, I’m just finding the Helix to be somehow quicker and more truly pedalboard-like, I guess. But you do pay for it in terms of size, for sure.
 
TubeStack said:
- really love how quick it is to touch a switch and have all/most of the parameters instantly on the perfectly-sized screen, with the knobs directly under them (I prefer this latter aspect to the QC's switches-as-knobs, but slightly off kilter to the screen setup); and I now agree with @Orvillain that this is preferable to a touchscreen and/or switches as knobs; also much faster and easier than the HXFX or Stomp
Click to expand...
Yeah to me, having the knobs directly with the screen just makes dialing stuff in way easier than the QC. The capacitive footswitches really make jumping from block to block a lot easier too.
 
Orvillain said:
Yeah to me, having the knobs directly with the screen just makes dialing stuff in way easier than the QC. The capacitive footswitches really make jumping from block to block a lot easier too.
Click to expand...
The thing I hate about Fractal's under the screen knobs is how cramped they are and that makes me want to use them less. I don't remember having as much problems with the Helix Floor so maybe those are spaced just that little bit wider?

Even though the QC definitely required mental mapping for the knobs, once you got that in your brain I felt it was easy to just reach for the knob and adjust it. QC also has the best encoder behavior I've had in a modeler where it feels intuitively right. Helix I think is still a bit too easy to over/undershoot a value and Fractal has similar issues but partly because sometimes their control scales are way too large (e.g 10ms - 10 seconds delay time).
 
TubeStack said:
Not at all, that’s why I said “cynically yet realistically,” meaning your prediction is realistic/accurate. I was also making the same point, ie. that if there’s a dealbreaker, it’ll be the size/weight.



Great points. The QC touchscreen is especially effective for getting around from preset to preset, managing and moving them, etc. I did find it super fast when getting a bunch ready for my band in a short amount of time.

As for the knobs, I’m just really liking the them being directly under parameters more than I thought I would, especially after so much time with the HXFX, but I see your point about size vs convenience, etc.

I do still love the QC UI, I’m just finding the Helix to be somehow quicker and more truly pedalboard-like, I guess. But you do pay for it in terms of size, for sure.
Click to expand...
No question the Helix Floor is the more effective pedalboard replacement. The QC is (IMO) a desktop design you can use on the floor in a pinch. The Helix has more (and for this purpose, better) switches, scribble strips, color coded rings, more versatile switch assignments, more extensive MIDI configuration, etc.

If my aim were to pair one of these devices with a tube amp and switch between lots of on-board effects/ scenes, I’d go Helix Floor, too. In my studio/ on my desk, the amp/ cab tones, UI, and form factor give QC the win. (They both have great I/O and features overall.)
 
laxu said:
QC also has the best encoder behavior I've had in a modeler where it feels intuitively right. Helix I think is still a bit too easy to over/undershoot a value and Fractal has similar issues but partly because sometimes their control scales are way too large (e.g 10ms - 10 seconds delay time).
Click to expand...

Good point, I've noticed it's easy to under/overshoot values with the HX knobs.

I liked the behaviour and feel of the AC knob/encoders too, although it was sometimes annoying/odd that they moved in predetermined increments. I didn't mind just tapping the screen to get a numeric pad for entering exact values, but it sort of defeated being a quick and smooth process.
 
dk_ace said:
Schitts Creek Yes GIF by CBC
Click to expand...
With the level of control you need, I feel like you’d be better served learning to play guitar with your feet and controlling your rig with your finger and hands via a huge 76 key MIDI controller with pads and sliders and buttons galore.
 
So it went fantastic with the Helix at band practice! It sounds and feels great in 4cm. I actually love the size and form factor: it's built to be used live and is perfect in that setting. Love the amount of switches + easy bank/preset changing, along with the full-size expression pedal. I'm pretty busy in the band, singing and being the only guitar player, so having everything easily accessible and neatly laid out + spread out is great.

Also love the quick setup and teardown + lack of tiny power cables, pedal cables coming loose, weirdly-sized pedals falling off (I'm looking at you, JHS Prestige and Mesa Stowaway), messy velcro, zip ties, dog hair, etc. All I've got now is this sleek, sexy Helix with easily-accessible I/O along the back and everything I could ever need, effects-wise, that's all in one piece and goes in/out of the case nice and quick. Extremely happy with it as an "HXFX Deluxe" and the Gator case for it is great, too. :love

Another unexpected bonus is how much it improves the sound of my vocals, running them through it. The "Studio Tube Pre" preamp is amazing, really adds clarity and punch. That plus a little bit of delay was so nice to sing with, love this aspect and didn't realize it would be such a big step up in audio quality for vocals. (Looking forward to trying @Digital Igloo's more involved signal chain, when I have time to set it up, adding the Retro Reel, LA compressor, and reverb. :beer)

So for 4cm use with my amp, along with added vocal processing/sweetening, the Helix is a home run, can't believe it took me this long to try it.

(Also getting great results with the amp models at home, will post more about that later.)
 
TubeStack said:
Another unexpected bonus is how much it improves the sound of my vocals, running them through it. The "Studio Tube Pre" preamp is amazing, really adds clarity and punch. That plus a little bit of delay was so nice to sing with, love this aspect and didn't realize it would be such a big step up in audio quality for vocals. (Looking forward to trying @Digital Igloo's more involved signal chain, when I have time to set it up, adding the Retro Reel, LA compressor, and reverb. :beer)
Click to expand...
You may want to try DELAY & REVERB in a single block...

Have a good one,

3EO
 
Boudoir Guitar said:
With the level of control you need, I feel like you’d be better served learning to play guitar with your feet and controlling your rig with your finger and hands via a huge 76 key MIDI controller with pads and sliders and buttons galore.
Click to expand...

You’re just misunderstanding how I use the rig. I’m not doing much tap dancing, and for most gigs I’m programming the set ahead of time so that I’m not doing any.

D
 
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