4 Ways Helix Changed The Game (And My Life)
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- Опубліковано 12 чер 2024
- Welcome to my first-ever Helix video! I've been meaning to do this for awhile, so here goes! In this first video I talk about how Helix impacted the guitar effects scene and my life. Let me count the ways! FOUR.
Hey JB, I heard you mention my cousin Sean Halley. It would be awesome if you could interview him about the creation of Helix, since he was with Line 6 at that time. I think you two could open the doors even wider for our understanding of how you professional guys use Helix. I also share your love of all things Mesa Boogie. Thanks for the awesome video, and the LP is just amazing.
I would love to talk to Sean about this. I just love talking to Sean in general. Thanks for checking out my channel Josh!
Count me in. I’ve had my LT for years and just now feel like I’m starting to get a grasp of the basics, to where I can follow what others are talking about it. I’ve always been a guitar into amp guy, so when you mention things like blending parallel paths or any other studio tricks, I’m all ears. I mainly use mine to record via usb and jam with frfr’s. Thanks and looking forward to more!
sporkcrx Yeah that’s where a lot of the fun begins, for me. I will say, though, I get some great tones with just the straight amp models with no funny business.
Thx for your videos man!
Glad you like them!
Love that awesome bluesy tone!
Thank you kindly!
Just subscribed after watching your 3.0 video. And watching this video you asked for comments on what we’d like to see you cover. I’d love to see more about parallel processing and more creative experiments you can do with the effects, i.e. putting effects on delay repeats, or tremolo on a shimmer. Basically like you said creating your own effects. I think there’s still so much unmined deep down in that magic box.
This is a huge part of what makes Helix so cool. I’ll try to get back to that; thanks for the reminder!
I love tube tone too, but am not a pro and don't currently play out. So, in 2016, I sold all my pedals and tube amp and went Helix. Never looking back. $200k worth of gear at about 95% quality of the real thing all in one portable box! Bam! Done. Spend money on guitars and time playing. Snapshots are killer too. I can make any amp a 3 or 4 channel setup. And finally, the ability to re-route effects without cable mess or dealing with why no sound is coming out of my pedal board. I can also experiment with different, less common effects without spending money. I LOVE my Helix!
It's too much fun.
A couple of things that I can't find a lot of information on is what to listen for when dialing in a tone, a lot of examples for common "problems", what they sound like, how to fix them. Working with different pickups and how that changes the configuration and the possibilities. Working with FRFR effectively at home / in band practice / on stage. Dialing in tones for an entire band to match (commonly, working with another guitarist, bassist, even vocals). Thanks for making this! The Helix is really a world of possibilities and any bit of information helps.
Ytai Ben-Tsvi I love this! The ‘what to listen for’ and ‘common problems’ questions are definitely going to be focused on. Pickups too. Thanks so much for the suggestion.
Love it!!!
Great !
Outstanding my compadre
Chad Boston Thanks man!!
Great video man!
Glad you liked it! Thanks Paul
I WILL TRY NOT TO POP THE MIC NEXT TIME.
S'ok... Didn't even notice
FlyingsCool It drives me bonkers!!
OK you got me & I guess I should be calling this " How JB Eckl changed my life " lol 1st I got to tell you a story . So I moved back to Scotland & purely by accident I took a job at the Local Swimming pool . & at 1st I didn't like the idea of teaching But it Changed my Life .. My Boss told me if I wanted to learn properly I would need to join the Swimming team & start with the youngsters but I had to turn up for both morning & evening Training if I was working or not & he gave me this Big thick Book like the Bible of being a swimming coach .. Well yes it was a little embarrassing at 1st swimming with the 10 year olds But I was in my early 20's & B4 the winter was over I was keeping up with the top teenagers . & Now here is my Musical point .. I loved teaching people to swim I would do it for free We taught all the local schools kids aged 11 & I taught private lessons Pensioners & my speciality was people who like me had been Scared of the water . So one Day this tall man comes up to me & he says Hello I had to come & meet you my kids have been going on about this guy Ben & how Ben said this & Ben say's that you know So there is this guy in his old fashioned swimming trunks & he says has never been too confident in the water . So I know right away why it's because he is Tall & skinny & I explain to him bone sinks fat floats etc & how he will have learn to swim with his head in the water .. I give him a pair of spare goggles & I have a break due so I jump in the water & I show him some stuff . For me it's like teaching people how to fly as soon as he get's the hang of it he is gliding around underwater & his kids are on his back . Next thing dressed & ready to go he say's " I don't suppose you play a musical instrument ? " & I say sure I am a guitar player Well Great he says next time you are up in Town ( Edinburgh ) I own the Music store ( & he names the Biggest one in Town Family trade since the early days ) & Oh man went I went in to the store he treated me like royalty . I traded up my old Ned Callan & he gave me a case a strap a lead some sets of strings & at an unbelievably low price . Then he asks me what kind of amp I have & I am out of funds by then No worries he says Tell me where you live & I will drop of this 100 watt Carlsboro Brand new Transistors Try it out see if you like it. So I loved it & when I went to my Bank to see about Hire purchase .. pay as you go . It turned out his kids had been talking about me too & as I had a mortgage with his Bank & my wages paid directly into the Bank he persuaded me to take out a Home improvement loan for a very low interest rate & ( wink wink ) if some of my home improvements included a sound system that was perfectly legal as long as I just did a bit of decorating & by the way why not have a credit card too. I met so many people A Drummer whose kids I taught & who turned out to be one of the top session Drummers in Scotland . A jazz guy who could play anything . Landlords of Hotels & pubs who gladly let me hire the Halls for putting on Gigs . Truthfully I have earned more money from a share of the door & the catering at gigs plus a kickback from the Bar on a goodnight than I made as one of the Band . It just goes to show what comes around goes around . Plus The confidence I gained from standing in front of 30 to 40 Kids & projecting my voice to be heard as I gave my lessons has been a transferable skill . I started out in 2015 Thinking about starting a u tube channel but very quickly decided it was not for me . Not yet anyway But I have been following & learning from others for about 7 years now . Anyway I know my own strengths & I would rather be behind the camera producing other people . I mean I can talk for as long as Rick Beato without a script as long as I know what I am talking about . & the truth is I am not that Gr8 on any instrument to teach anyone but absolute beginners & sadly I am not ( no false modesty just facts ) at all photogenic . I mean you are & you speak well . so that is why I am now hooked on your channel .. just give me time to catch up on all your content & I will stop writing such long comments but then writing is another one of my Projects & I write everyday .. in my Journals & song lyrics I have hundreds of lyrics with no tune . Like a Bernie Taupin with no Elton John lol. Stay safe & Frosty cheers .. LIne 6 & Helix research has begun . Cheers for now.
Cool.
Hey I couldn't help but notice you have the Voicelive 3X, which I also have and love. I've been considering a Helix for some time and wondered about using the two together. Like possible controlling the Voicelive using MIDI on the Helix, or anything really. A video like that would be awesome!
Yeah the VL3X is a wonderful machine. It's got pretty clear MIDI implementation, I'm not having any problem switching patches or turning effects off and on from Helix etc. The only issue I have is that not all of the parameters of the VoiceLive are available via MIDI. They sort of pick and choose. Not too bad though.
Great video bro. I would like to see you talk about use helix with Powercab and some basic tips and tricks that you think a new helix should follow
Paulo Madeira I don’t currently have a Power Cab, but I use it with the Firehawk 1500.
Have you joined the Helix Family group on Facebook?
JB Eckl I don’t use Facebook...I hope to see mor videos from you 👍
Paulo Madeira Thanks so much for the feedback, I’ll definitely think about good starter tips for new Helix users. I’ve had quite a few requests for that!
@@JB_Eckl I recommend the powercab. You mentioned the variax they all combine to make a very powerful set of tools, all controlled by the helix.
The routing is crazy on Helix!!
Jeremy Brook - It’s true. It’s all stuff that you would normally do in a DAW or a mix session, but it makes 100% sense to me to have it in my guitar rig.
@@JB_Eckl Hi JB, what are you referring to in terms of rounting. I know what the word means. I have a fractal AX8 pedal which is similar to the Helix in the video I think. I am learning Logic and bought headphones and studio monitors. Could you give me some guidance/tips.
@@ravinaidu5873 One example would be creating a parallel chain and putting a reverb or delay on it. In a DAW this would be an Aux track, which allows you to send the guitar to the reverb or delay chain to be processed independently from the guitar. So the reverb itself could be EQ'd, compressed etc on its own. Things like that.
I’d like to have you get in depth about how you use Helix as the controller, brain center for your rig.
Steve Morgan Definitely! That video might need an intermission for coffee and snacks.
Hey JB, there are tons and tons of excellent videos on making Helix sound great in a DAW, in headphones, on UA-cam...
I'd really like to hear what tips you have for the "grab and go" live gig with Helix. What can you share about pushing tone through the air in performance mode, at jams, clubs, stages, theaters, outdoor festivals, all that good stuff? Thanks!
J M Good point. In a live setting, though, it’s really all about what speaker you’re playing through. If you put yourself at the mercy of the monitor engineer, it’s completely out of your hands. I love the Line 6 Power Cab and Firehawk 1500. Have you ever tried playing a modeler through a good full range speaker setup?
@@JB_Eckl Thanks JB, yes I do own the Power Cab +. I did own the FH1500 and loved it, but needed something more portable. I've also played gigs through a QSC K12.2 and a Yamaha DXR10. I've also tried a Behringer KXD12 and the power section of a Boss Katana 100. The Katana has been my most frequent choice because if the Helix ever had a problem, the Kat would be a standalone amp and works great with pedals.
So, while I agree from experience that the output stage makes a big difference, I'm really interested in what you've learned, what you've tried, etc. Even if you're using something different, I can still apply whatever you've tried to my own situation. So it's all welcome, and as they say, mileage may vary.
My experience with Power Cab is that I prefer the speaker models, or even just the "Flat" or "Raw" speaker setting, to the FRFR setting. And I might run the Helix to the PC via L6 link and the PC Output to FOH, or try something different. It always sounds good. Just looking for the perfect "swiss army knife" rig that gives me rich balanced cleans, punchy drives, and molten leads. I usually hit two out of three but there's always something that could sound better.
So I'm always looking for good Helix tips for running live, whether you run through an amp return, a monitor, an FRFR speaker or a PowerCab.
Keep at it
Ace Hardy Oh I will!
Yes, man, I've been gravitating around this baby since it came out. I sold one Helix in the past, bought a "better sounding" product but missed so much the UI and all the features you mentioned. After that I bought another Helx and again I thought, yeah, those features are insane and look at that UI and that usability! But, really, something was missing, so I sold it again and bought a second unit of that better sounding product. Now I miss the magic and usability of a Helix again so much. Sound is everything but then again not everything, it seems. I am torn. Yes, Helix is the best that could happen to the guitar world, imo. I honesty try to convince myself every day that it sounds as good as the units I sold my Helixes for but it is not the case. I would give everything if I could have a Helix again but with my current amp tone. If Line6 could only include one thing into the Helix, that is the exact copy and recreation (tone and feel) of any real amp, then it would blow the universe into peaces. Unfortunately other companies will be the first to do what I mentioned above: Neural Dsp with its Quad Cortex and Thomas Blug with his prototype of the Bluguitar Amp X. We will see how good Neural will handle this - the tone examples were not convincing, so far. But we will see. But as far as the Bluguitar amps are concerned, we already can tell that Thomas Blug is a genious. Every tone creating unit he touches becomes gold.
alienlovesecrets What real amps are your holy grail reference tones?
I’ve never used a modeling anything, I would love to see stuff for first time users
Ralph Rounds Very cool. Lots of requests for that, so I’m looking into it! Thanks for checking out the video.
wonder!,,, i youse bouth speakers and headset,,but the different of the sound are massive,,i get a paperizh sound with the speakers,,and pretty good with headset,,can you tell me why and what i do to make my speaker sound better
The speakers you use with a modeler are a huge part of the sound. All I can say is, don’t be afraid to use a LOT of hi cut in your cab settings, especially with high gain.
"Sometimes I forget..." 🤣🤣🤣
FlyingsCool It’s true though! I have other wonderful interfaces (RME), but sometimes it’s way more practical to just go straight in with Helix.
where did you get those colored 1/4 inch nuts ???
I got these from GearByCBA. I need to use more of them for all the crazy spaghetti I have plugged in back there.
sweet!! thanx for the response, I typically use all four of the effects loops, one of them being fora four cable method into my amp, I think that little hack will help out a lot when you’re in a hurry thank you.
I didn’t hear a word you said because I must have that Les Paul.
Edward J. Rodriguez Ha! Yeah she really is a beauty. Made in the Memphis factory before they closed it down. The finish is called ‘cobra burst.’ You can find these on Reverb.com once in awhile if you check in!
JB Eckl I’ve been looking at them for a while but don’t think I’ve ever seen that finish on an ES LP.
Edward J. Rodriguez There are two of them on Reverb right now! Just search Cobra Burst
LOL