.....because people judge on presets, and are too lazy to explore all capabilities. Create your own rigs in Headrush and tweak accordingly, and it sounds great.
I might be wrong, but I heard on another video that you can send a dry vocal signal through one output and a wet, vocal signal through another, so you can monitor the dry signal, and have no latency in your monitoring, while sending the wet signal with autotune on it to front of house.
I pulled the plug. Ordered and it is on its way. Your review was very welcomed and it helped me to make my decision. It looks very intuitive, and imagine the improvements! Thanks!
@@Bridging_the_Political_Divide so far I am very happy with it. I am trying the different vocal effects and some effects for acoustic guitar, there is so much! The interface is really friendly. I am about to try cloning a few pedals and a Fender bass amp, this will surely be fun!
@@TiagoCiccone Good to hear, I will probably order one. $1300 for these capabilities today is actually very cost effective. Glad you are enjoying it. 👍
When Is someone going to plug and acoustic guitar in to this thing and do a demo of dialing in what it can do with an acoustic guitar like they many have done for the HELIX.
I would love to see if it can it do the adaptive tone (de-esser, compressor, eq) as well as the TC Helicon products. I don't use the harmony feature much on my VLP and the reverb is okay, but I really like what the adaptive tone does.
Thanks for this Aaron. Little doubt from this that while the guitar modelling is far superior to the VL3X and easier to configure, the voice side has a way to go before it catches up. Can't justify both so will have to decide whether I flog my VL3X to help pay for this or not!
Yes one doesn’t really replace the other. It depends on which form factor and specific features you need. Don’t forget that the Headrush also has USB interface abilities etc.
as you also use a voicelive 3, did you had time to make more comparisons between these two units ? How do you feel about the Headrush Prime, if we just talk about the vocal part, a year after this video ? I am interested in both units but only for vocals, and harmony will be a part of why I choose one or the other. But also availability, since finding TC Helicon products these days is quite a challenge
I own the prime and owned the previous model. I will not purchase their next model unless it has a PC/iPad editor and Headrush actually updates the OLD eleven rack cabs and effects. You shouldn’t have to try so hard to get good tones, the new fender tonemaster has great tones out of the box, if headrush had that it wouldn’t be the underdog, throw in an off unit editor and headrush would dominate! Stop treating this like a cash cow inMusic! Multi FX pedals are very much in the growth stage. Invest in product improvements and you’ll multiply your returns!
Thanks for the great video. As I understand The Prime doesn´t do the voice auto-tracking like my old TC acoustic, So, are you supposed to set the key of each song if you want to use the autotune??, Many thanks
16lbs. Unless you got spaghetti arms 16lbs is nothing and I like the weight so it don’t side around on stage, as well as the fact I don’t have to take my tc helicon. It’s for me.
My Voicelive 3 doesn’t slide around and there’s no way I can take the Headrush to a gig if I am taking public transport and already taking a PA speaker, guitar, mic stand and cable bag. I hope they make a mini version at some point without the expression pedal but with the same DSP.
Currently running Voicelive 3 triggered by OnSong via wireless MIDI. Keep the pedal in a sliding rack shelf with my wireless units and access vocal effects via the TC remote foot switch. Does the Headrest Prime have a remote foot switch?
Hi all, Thanks for the video on the Headrush Prime. I have just bitten the bullet and gone for it. I hope to replace all my heavy amps, cabs and various leads etc (getting too old lol). Its a big step for a guitarist to go to a pedal board. First impressions are good. I am also going to invest in the Headrush monitor to use as backline and also feed to the mixing desk for front of house. My main issue with it is the vocal side as it wont use the guitar to autotune. My question is - as I also have the TC Helicon VL3 extreme can I not do a feed-through from the VL3 to the headrush prime therefore making the most of both units?
Nice demonstration but I disagree with the idea of turning the harmony down so low. I keep mine about -3 or -4 db at the most. Especially since we really want to hear the quality of it. With that said, this was very helpful so thank you!
Please do more videos with vocal effects. Plan to buy but I will only use the vocal fx. I know there's a lot of options for vocal processor/effects out there but i like the interface of headrush its more easy to use and setup
Most people who gig only need to carry from car to venue 500ft or so. Not sure why I hear so many people complaining about weight and size, especially if you have in a carrying case. I guess traveling in a subway I get it. I'd like to see you cover the reamp feature as no one has done that yet.
Really appreciate all the work you did on this one Is there a way with either this one or the TC Helicon VL3, to separate the outputs as a guitar out and microphone out, so that a sound person could control whatever they needed to after the unit has done what it has done?
I am not entirely satisfied with what I have heard and seen. I believe that all these "boxes" can more or less imitate the sound of some Fender or Vox amplifiers, clean sound, but I am in the mood to pay money for a "box" that is capable of roaring a real, convincing metal sound, like some of the muscular Mesa amplifiers Mark V, Revv, Diesel and the like. If it can do that, then so can these "lemonades".
@@aaronshortmusic Well, there may be hope for Cortex, but Kemper is already an older technology that behaves according to the system "the fire left in the old lighter" and is a bit overpriced for that. The new firmware for the Cortex is likely to give more power and has a bright future ahead of it, unless FM9 drops the price and makes buyers hesitate.
Hey mate have got a fairly specific question I’ve been wanting to do away with four on the floor foot stomping on my live gigs to free up my foot for more looping After much research it seems velocity control for the dynamics I’m used to and a tap tempo can only be achieved on a laptop or mobile daw unit Is it possible on the headrush to import 3-4 separate sample drum loops with soft to hard velocities assign them to switches then control the BPM of the loops with tap tempo while maintaining the pitch Or is there a better way I’m not considering Thanks so much for you time putting this together Has huge potential!!
I think you may be able to do that with the ‘practice tool’. I’m not sure if you can tap though, you may have to use the +\- 5% controls. Also you would have to enter that mode without using the menu. It may be a little too adventurous for this unit.
@@aaronshortmusic Yes. Do you think TC's Adaptive Tone can be created on here with their FX? Also I'm not hearing the hiss you mentioned on this end. Do you hear hiss when you listen to the livestream?
@@TheXIT I think they could do anything with firmware but who knows if they will… the noise and hiss was in the looper. You would need to listen with headphones at that point in the video. It was pretty distracting.
As a software developer there is nothing worse than assuming something is a bug. After watching many of these videos I know there is a noise gate on the guitar input.
I just wish you had put a little more effort on trying to make the auto tune sound good. There’s a humanize parameter that you havent tried. Also I it would be lovely to know whether the auto tune can infer the key like the harmonizer
I didn’t like the overall form factor of the pedal and it felt rushed so I didn’t want to spend time trying to make it work. I returned it the next day and I haven’t seen them try to make it better with any major firmware updates yet.
@@aaronshortmusic when you say form factor you mean like size layout and usability? I’m asking because I’m kinda settled on getting one since its proposal and usability are the most appealing to me. Sound-wise I’m not good enough to even tell the difference between it and a helix/QC. I’m looking to replace my Boss Me 90 and boss Ve 500 for this single unit. It’s good to know it’s not about the sounds
Still watching (and much enjoying). Maybe you could have turned the Humanizer slider down for comparison? Might have been a source of some of the less than perfect harmonizer sounds.
I know I could of tweaked it but I think it should just work out of the box. Or at least they should tell you how to use it. The user guide is very sparse.
@@aaronshortmusic Yes, agreed. The out-of-the-box experience should be pretty close to marvelous. It always gets me how many effect settings are way too weird for common uses. Most manufacturers get that wrong. About the „Humanizer“: If I watched/listened correctly, you had turned the Humanizer up to 24% or so, assuming it it would make things more realistic. But perhaps it, instead, just makes things a bit too sloppy? Just wondering….
@@scottbecker3485 I did play with it a little. The main thing with the Prime is that you have to be perfectly in tune when you sing or the harmony doesn’t track well.
@@aaronshortmusic Thanks for pointing that out. Maybe Headrush can/will improve on that in future firmware, but as you mentioned, buying a unit based on futureware is not everyone‘s cuppa.
Hey Aaron! Fantastic video. If you increase the humanize value on Autotune it should help with the slightly out of tune issues you are experiencing. I noticed you had it set to 21% on the video. Crank that baby and see what you think! This is the ONLY video that covers the vocal features and auto-harm functions in-depth. You are the best!
@@aaronshortmusic I use the Play Acoustic. Any experience with that versus the VL3X in terms of tuning/harmony quality? I always wondered if there was a huge jump in performance between those models.
@@aaronshortmusic that’s amazing. I have been hoping TC comes out with an updated model that has Autotune and more features. I seriously thought about getting the extreme to have electric and acoustic options in a single box. Do you find the electric tones work well? I imagine you have some vids on it. Your videos are super in-depth and much appreciated. I also subbed!
@@TheJonOsborne Thank you for subscribing! The electric sounds are the weak point but they are useable. You could get another pedal like the HX Stomp for those.
Hey Aaron great review! I too am tempted to buy this unit, since I already have the MX5. Compared to the Fractal FM9, which in your opinion has the "better amp sound"? I hear there are issues with Latency on the unit. Did you experience this?
@@aaronshortmusic why would there be latency? I’ve heard a lot of people complain about a lot of stupid things when it comes to the HR products and I just don’t understand why. However, I’ve never heard anyone complain about latency. I can’t even detect any when using the drop tuning FX!
Damn, I just ordered the Prime yesterday and just now learned from your video that the harmonizer tracks guitar notes! That's insane, even more sold on the unit!
@@Bridging_the_Political_Divide it's kick ass, does everything I've ever wanted to do and definitely sounds better than the pedalboard which I was lucky enough to sell for $700
@@headrushG33K. Very interesting, I appreciate the feedback. I have the original HR pedalboard and like it alot. It does alot well. I get great cleans out of mine, and "good" overdrives. I also have an older AX8 which is really strong across the board on all aspects, but I'm itching for a new board to evaluate. The great thing about Prime for me is the cloning. I ponied up big to get an unmolested 69 Superbass and wouldn't dream of taking it out gigging, but with Prime and amp capture, I can! Had been considering an FM3, but may do HR Prime if you say it really sounds nice. As I said, the cleans I've created in my original HR are really nice, but the overdrives while "good" or even "very good", leave a little to be desired for me. This original HR does kinda have a glossy layer over everything, and while it probably adds to the cleans to feel lush and dynamic, that "glossy layer" over the overdrives bothers me. It's not overbearing, and is really just subtle, but I can hear it. Think HR Prime probably worked this out, may be just what the Doctor ordered. 😉
I have been using my HR Pedalboard in my studio for years and have never had the need for an editor! I can’t believe how many people see this as a big deal. Mine sits on the desk next to the mixer and it’s so easy to edit an create sounds in no time at all! An editor would be a pain in the arse, constantly changing between the daw and the editor! Even if they bring one out, I doubt I’d use it. This thing is for people who like the old school approach of adjusting pedals on the pedal…you know, like we did for 30 years!
It kinda is a Jack of all trades, master of none! The major isse is tha lack of I/Os. 1) It has only a single guitar input. This means that you need to physically unplug and plug in your guitars if you want to switch guitars on stage (between songs, say). It also means that you can't use Rickenbackers Ric-o-Sound* feature. Well, you can but that means sacrificing the left FX return, which is a very clumpsy workaround. 2) There are several issues with the outputs as well. Such as not being able to output the signal from different places in the chain, for the purpose of re-amping etc. One serious flaw is that the Guitar and Mic (Vocal) channels MUST be separate ALL the way, from input to output, to be of any use. Noone in their right mind would even consider sending a mix of the vocal and guitar to FOH! Most of the issues mentioned in the video can be fixed with firmware updates, but these are hardware issues that can't. What Headrush should have done is offer extra I/O jacks. Either as a puchase option, an insert card or a breakout box. I've been waiting for years for Line6 to update their ancient Helix to modern standards. Now I have a very difficult decision to make: Should I see if I can find workarounds for the Headrush Primes deficiencies, or see if Line6 picks up the gauntlet? Decisions, decisions, decisions. * For those who don't know what Rick-o-Sound is: On some Rickenbacker guitars and basses, you can send the neck and bridge pickus to separate amps.
I don't know of any modeller (except maybe AxeFX & QC which i don't know) that has multiple Guitar Inputs for your purpose, so i think for the masses its neglectable. The Mic can be send separately from the Guitar Signal and even has a Dry Out!
@@Worlds_Worst_Guitarist The Helix has an Aux in (intended for guitars with active piuckups). It also have four send/returns, that can be pressed into service. I gues you can add the Helix to your ever growing list. "The Mic can be send separately from the Guitar Signal" And how do you achieve this without a dedicated output for the "Vocal parh"? ESP of some kind? Yes there is a Dry Out. "Dry" (without FX) being the operative word! What's the point of that. None!
Good points. The first point could somewhat be addressed by picking up an A/B box for switching between two guitars and they’re overall fairly cheap so it’s not a huge extra expense. Though it would have been nice for Headrush to have added it from the start
@@michaeloconnor6483 I'm affraid the a A/B box wouldn't work with the Rick-o-Sound. However, there is one solution that would solve all the I/O issues, without the need to physically redesign the product. The Headrush Prime has USB ports. So, all that it needed is for Headrush to release a breakout expander with 8 analog level switchable I/Os and ADAT. Then let these ports be accessible from software per preset. That way: 1) The Headrush Prime would be covered in any, present or future, recording or live situation. 2) Maybe you don need the breakoutbox (I'd do), and wouldn't had to pay for it (I would). If anyone reading this mails Headrush a request, they might see that there is a market for a breakout I/O expander and something about it.
@@TheBbtlegit It’s just different. I did prefer the amp tones to the Helix. I just wish they had made it smaller and worked more on the vocal effects and I/O.
Thanks for the quick response Aaron! Do you know if you can pan the guitar and vocal right and left so you can send guitar only to one channel of your mixer, and vocal only to another mixer channel?
The vocal harmony demo sounds terrible to me. More specifically it is not tracking quickly to vocal that it has to harmonize with. That delay is a deal breaker if you are a vocalist. It has to immediately harmonize with the vocal without any delay. For that reason alone I would not purchase this.
The humanize setting allows you to have the harmony come in behind the vocal to make it more natural but I agree that the harmonies don’t track as well as the TC pedals.
Check out the Headrush Prime at Sweetwater (affiliate) - sweetwater.sjv.io/9gG3EQ
It's for me, I want it. Amazing how many people say headrush are bad. It sounds fantastic
The amp sounds are excellent.
.....because people judge on presets, and are too lazy to explore all capabilities. Create your own rigs in Headrush and tweak accordingly, and it sounds great.
@@Bridging_the_Political_DivideYASSS! Although, most the Prime’s presets really do sound good. Better than the OGPB 💪🏾😎🏝️
This initial walkthrough is a great gift to the gear-seeking community! Loving the guitar tones, too.
Thanks!
Great video! My Prime is on the way…this is exactly what I needed! Thank you for all you do!!
Mine just came a week ago!
I might be wrong, but I heard on another video that you can send a dry vocal signal through one output and a wet, vocal signal through another, so you can monitor the dry signal, and have no latency in your monitoring, while sending the wet signal with autotune on it to front of house.
That would make sense and would prevent the weird phasing sound I was hearing in my livestream.
What you want will be called the HeadRush Gigboard Prime.
I pulled the plug. Ordered and it is on its way. Your review was very welcomed and it helped me to make my decision. It looks very intuitive, and imagine the improvements! Thanks!
Congrats.
How do you like it so far Tiago?
@@Bridging_the_Political_Divide so far I am very happy with it. I am trying the different vocal effects and some effects for acoustic guitar, there is so much! The interface is really friendly. I am about to try cloning a few pedals and a Fender bass amp, this will surely be fun!
@@TiagoCiccone Good to hear, I will probably order one. $1300 for these capabilities today is actually very cost effective. Glad you are enjoying it. 👍
When Is someone going to plug and acoustic guitar in to this thing and do a demo of dialing in what it can do with an acoustic guitar like they many have done for the HELIX.
It has all of the usual EQ and reverb etc. the quality of your acoustic sound will depend on your pickup.
My PRS Angelus sounds amazing w/the newly released acoustic pre-amp! 🏝️
I would love to see if it can it do the adaptive tone (de-esser, compressor, eq) as well as the TC Helicon products. I don't use the harmony feature much on my VLP and the reverb is okay, but I really like what the adaptive tone does.
Yes the adaptive tone is excellent.
Thanks for this Aaron. Little doubt from this that while the guitar modelling is far superior to the VL3X and easier to configure, the voice side has a way to go before it catches up. Can't justify both so will have to decide whether I flog my VL3X to help pay for this or not!
Yes one doesn’t really replace the other. It depends on which form factor and specific features you need. Don’t forget that the Headrush also has USB interface abilities etc.
as you also use a voicelive 3, did you had time to make more comparisons between these two units ?
How do you feel about the Headrush Prime, if we just talk about the vocal part, a year after this video ?
I am interested in both units but only for vocals, and harmony will be a part of why I choose one or the other.
But also availability, since finding TC Helicon products these days is quite a challenge
TC is still king for vocals. The pedals should be available again soon.
I own the prime and owned the previous model. I will not purchase their next model unless it has a PC/iPad editor and Headrush actually updates the OLD eleven rack cabs and effects.
You shouldn’t have to try so hard to get good tones, the new fender tonemaster has great tones out of the box, if headrush had that it wouldn’t be the underdog, throw in an off unit editor and headrush would dominate!
Stop treating this like a cash cow inMusic! Multi FX pedals are very much in the growth stage. Invest in product improvements and you’ll multiply your returns!
I agree.
Thanks for the great video. As I understand The Prime doesn´t do the voice auto-tracking like my old TC acoustic, So, are you supposed to set the key of each song if you want to use the autotune??, Many thanks
I believe so. I returned it and kept the TC.
How do you get the bluetoothed feature to work with my DAW Cubase 12 and Iphone 14
I don’t know sorry. I returned it the next day.
16lbs. Unless you got spaghetti arms 16lbs is nothing and I like the weight so it don’t side around on stage, as well as the fact I don’t have to take my tc helicon. It’s for me.
My Voicelive 3 doesn’t slide around and there’s no way I can take the Headrush to a gig if I am taking public transport and already taking a PA speaker, guitar, mic stand and cable bag. I hope they make a mini version at some point without the expression pedal but with the same DSP.
@@aaronshortmusic I wanted to see a rack mount unit for the studio
@@aaronshortmusic core
@@XRPME13 Yes I saw that but I need them to improve the harmonies to make the switch.
My zoom Dave Mustain pedal was very small considering It had a pedal. it can still be there on a design almost half that size.
can the headrush prime do what the headrush looper board can do? Meaning the ability to loop multiple tracks separately?
Nope
@@aaronshortmusic thank you for answering my question 🤙🏽
Function-wise, I love it. It just doesn't sound very good.
Great tutorial, much appreciated! 👍
I think we can use a computer editor on the unit.
Currently running Voicelive 3 triggered by OnSong via wireless MIDI. Keep the pedal in a sliding rack shelf with my wireless units and access vocal effects via the TC remote foot switch. Does the Headrest Prime have a remote foot switch?
No but it does have some MIDI controls.
Hi all,
Thanks for the video on the Headrush Prime. I have just bitten the bullet and gone for it. I hope to replace all my heavy amps, cabs and various leads etc (getting too old lol). Its a big step for a guitarist to go to a pedal board. First impressions are good. I am also going to invest in the Headrush monitor to use as backline and also feed to the mixing desk for front of house. My main issue with it is the vocal side as it wont use the guitar to autotune. My question is - as I also have the TC Helicon VL3 extreme can I not do a feed-through from the VL3 to the headrush prime therefore making the most of both units?
You can if you don’t mind carrying all of that around.
I'm running a VL3X into a Headrush Looperboard. I would really love to find one device to do it all.
Me too.
In guitar and vocal straight line signal path, what is max number of blocks for each path?
7 on each I think.
Nice demonstration but I disagree with the idea of turning the harmony down so low. I keep mine about -3 or -4 db at the most. Especially since we really want to hear the quality of it. With that said, this was very helpful so thank you!
Yeah I just meant in a performance you probably wouldn’t want it that loud.
Please do more videos with vocal effects. Plan to buy but I will only use the vocal fx. I know there's a lot of options for vocal processor/effects out there but i like the interface of headrush its more easy to use and setup
I returned it. I didn’t like how big it was and it had some bugs too.
Most people who gig only need to carry from car to venue 500ft or so. Not sure why I hear so many people complaining about weight and size, especially if you have in a carrying case. I guess traveling in a subway I get it. I'd like to see you cover the reamp feature as no one has done that yet.
Yeah I take the subway that’s why it matters to me.
Really appreciate all the work you did on this one
Is there a way with either this one or the TC Helicon VL3, to separate the outputs as a guitar out and microphone out, so that a sound person could control whatever they needed to after the unit has done what it has done?
You can with the TC and I heard that you can with the HR as well.
Quad cortex allows me to run 2 guitar inputs and 1 mic at the same time, through separate paths and outputs. Can Prime do that?
Nope.
Anybody know how to change the key on autotune without having to bend down every song? Should it be done by scene?
I noticed that. It doesn’t used the chords to figure out the auto tune key.
They have gone the other way with the graphics cause that’s what the users asked for!
I prefer it but I’m old school!
@@aaronshortmusic me too…I’m actually old 😂
Great stream! Your channel has come a long way since we talked about it at NAM all those years ago! - Chris
Thanks buddy!
Just got one today and a quick play through headphones, bad latency. I'll try to figure it out...
Interesting. I didn’t notice that.
@@aaronshortmusic I ran it through some outboard gear and powered speakers, and that was way better.
Do the mic and guitar chains have separate outputs?
Yes I believe so.
@@aaronshortmusic awesome!
the size does not put me off, i want one, i have helix and i love it, but i want this so bad.
Size only matters if you don’t usually drive to gigs…
@@aaronshortmusic I don't see how people say these don't sound good, they sound so good to my ears
@@pauljosse Yes it sounds great. So does the Quad Cortex. A lot of good tones these days. Definitely come a long way.
@@aaronshortmusic saw a helix direct last night, it was AMAZING. I couldn't believe it
@@pauljosse I gave up trying to make the Helix sound how I want. I really like the Quad Cortex though. I still prefer a tube amp when it’s available.
I am not entirely satisfied with what I have heard and seen. I believe that all these "boxes" can more or less imitate the sound of some Fender or Vox amplifiers, clean sound, but I am in the mood to pay money for a "box" that is capable of roaring a real, convincing metal sound, like some of the muscular Mesa amplifiers Mark V, Revv, Diesel and the like. If it can do that, then so can these "lemonades".
The Quad Cortex and Kemper can do those tones well.
@@aaronshortmusic Well, there may be hope for Cortex, but Kemper is already an older technology that behaves according to the system "the fire left in the old lighter" and is a bit overpriced for that. The new firmware for the Cortex is likely to give more power and has a bright future ahead of it, unless FM9 drops the price and makes buyers hesitate.
Hey mate have got a fairly specific question
I’ve been wanting to do away with four on the floor foot stomping on my live gigs to free up my foot for more looping
After much research it seems velocity control for the dynamics I’m used to and a tap tempo can only be achieved on a laptop or mobile daw unit
Is it possible on the headrush to import 3-4 separate sample drum loops with soft to hard velocities assign them to switches then control the BPM of the loops with tap
tempo while maintaining the pitch
Or is there a better way I’m not considering
Thanks so much for you time putting this together
Has huge potential!!
I think you may be able to do that with the ‘practice tool’. I’m not sure if you can tap though, you may have to use the +\- 5% controls. Also you would have to enter that mode without using the menu. It may be a little too adventurous for this unit.
@@aaronshortmusic agreed ticks a lot of other boxes though 👍🙏🏻
Thanks for the thorough Voice Demo. I'm hoping the vocal section will replace my VL3X
Maybe with some firmware updates…
@@aaronshortmusic Yes. Do you think TC's Adaptive Tone can be created on here with their FX? Also I'm not hearing the hiss you mentioned on this end. Do you hear hiss when you listen to the livestream?
@@TheXIT I think they could do anything with firmware but who knows if they will… the noise and hiss was in the looper. You would need to listen with headphones at that point in the video. It was pretty distracting.
As a software developer there is nothing worse than assuming something is a bug. After watching many of these videos I know there is a noise gate on the guitar input.
There were bugs in the looper.
Hola caballero buenos dias, me gustaria saber que modelo de cabina esta utilizando muchas gracias y felicidades por el video.
I’m not sure. I believe it was just the stock preset.
@@aaronshortmusic ok perfecto sin problemas muchas gracias
Dude thanks for your brute honesty. We don’t find a lot of that out there
I just wish you had put a little more effort on trying to make the auto tune sound good. There’s a humanize parameter that you havent tried. Also I it would be lovely to know whether the auto tune can infer the key like the harmonizer
I didn’t like the overall form factor of the pedal and it felt rushed so I didn’t want to spend time trying to make it work. I returned it the next day and I haven’t seen them try to make it better with any major firmware updates yet.
@@aaronshortmusic oh thanks again! That’s surprising. During the stream you got some good sounds of it. Thanks!
@@pedromattos4877 Yes some good electric guitar tones but I am more focussed on form factor and the vocal effects.
@@aaronshortmusic when you say form factor you mean like size layout and usability? I’m asking because I’m kinda settled on getting one since its proposal and usability are the most appealing to me. Sound-wise I’m not good enough to even tell the difference between it and a helix/QC. I’m looking to replace my Boss Me 90 and boss Ve 500 for this single unit. It’s good to know it’s not about the sounds
It takes 2 guitars.
Kinda. It means that you lose the loopback feature, as is use the left FX return for the second guitar.
Yes and it can’t fully process everything like the Quad Cortex can.
Still watching (and much enjoying). Maybe you could have turned the Humanizer slider down for comparison? Might have been a source of some of the less than perfect harmonizer sounds.
I know I could of tweaked it but I think it should just work out of the box. Or at least they should tell you how to use it. The user guide is very sparse.
@@aaronshortmusic Yes, agreed. The out-of-the-box experience should be pretty close to marvelous. It always gets me how many effect settings are way too weird for common uses. Most manufacturers get that wrong. About the „Humanizer“: If I watched/listened correctly, you had turned the Humanizer up to 24% or so, assuming it it would make things more realistic. But perhaps it, instead, just makes things a bit too sloppy? Just wondering….
@@scottbecker3485 I did play with it a little. The main thing with the Prime is that you have to be perfectly in tune when you sing or the harmony doesn’t track well.
@@aaronshortmusic Thanks for pointing that out. Maybe Headrush can/will improve on that in future firmware, but as you mentioned, buying a unit based on futureware is not everyone‘s cuppa.
@@scottbecker3485 Yeah it’s frustrating. Even Apple take a few months to get their devices running as intended.
Hey Aaron! Fantastic video. If you increase the humanize value on Autotune it should help with the slightly out of tune issues you are experiencing. I noticed you had it set to 21% on the video. Crank that baby and see what you think! This is the ONLY video that covers the vocal features and auto-harm functions in-depth. You are the best!
Thanks but for what I do it still doesn’t hold a candle to the VL3x.
@@aaronshortmusic I use the Play Acoustic. Any experience with that versus the VL3X in terms of tuning/harmony quality? I always wondered if there was a huge jump in performance between those models.
@@TheJonOsborne Same algorithm but more options on the VL3X and also a ton of other features that I now rely on.
@@aaronshortmusic that’s amazing. I have been hoping TC comes out with an updated model that has Autotune and more features. I seriously thought about getting the extreme to have electric and acoustic options in a single box. Do you find the electric tones work well? I imagine you have some vids on it. Your videos are super in-depth and much appreciated. I also subbed!
@@TheJonOsborne Thank you for subscribing! The electric sounds are the weak point but they are useable. You could get another pedal like the HX Stomp for those.
Hey Aaron great review! I too am tempted to buy this unit, since I already have the MX5. Compared to the Fractal FM9, which in your opinion has the "better amp sound"? I hear there are issues with Latency on the unit. Did you experience this?
I still like the Quad Cortex. I didn’t notice any bad latency but I only used the built in models.
There’s zero latency in mine 🤷🏻♂️ Amp sound is subjective. What you like, someone else may not but I think it sounds great!
@@officialWWM Someone did a latency test. Some people notice it more than others though. I didn’t notice it.
@@aaronshortmusic why would there be latency? I’ve heard a lot of people complain about a lot of stupid things when it comes to the HR products and I just don’t understand why. However, I’ve never heard anyone complain about latency. I can’t even detect any when using the drop tuning FX!
@@officialWWM People do tests and often say that the Boss products have the least. I agree to doesn’t matter unless you can tell yourself.
Damn, I just ordered the Prime yesterday and just now learned from your video that the harmonizer tracks guitar notes! That's insane, even more sold on the unit!
Congrats!
How do you like your new Prime? Should I buy one?
@@Bridging_the_Political_Divide it's kick ass, does everything I've ever wanted to do and definitely sounds better than the pedalboard which I was lucky enough to sell for $700
@@Bridging_the_Political_Divide that said, if you are already familiar with HeadRush UI definitely order the unit.
@@headrushG33K. Very interesting, I appreciate the feedback. I have the original HR pedalboard and like it alot. It does alot well. I get great cleans out of mine, and "good" overdrives. I also have an older AX8 which is really strong across the board on all aspects, but I'm itching for a new board to evaluate. The great thing about Prime for me is the cloning. I ponied up big to get an unmolested 69 Superbass and wouldn't dream of taking it out gigging, but with Prime and amp capture, I can! Had been considering an FM3, but may do HR Prime if you say it really sounds nice. As I said, the cleans I've created in my original HR are really nice, but the overdrives while "good" or even "very good", leave a little to be desired for me. This original HR does kinda have a glossy layer over everything, and while it probably adds to the cleans to feel lush and dynamic, that "glossy layer" over the overdrives bothers me. It's not overbearing, and is really just subtle, but I can hear it. Think HR Prime probably worked this out, may be just what the Doctor ordered. 😉
Would love to have this. However as a studio user, it's a deal breaker not having an online editor.
I think all multi effects pedals should have mobile editors in 2023.
I'm betting a tablet/phone app is on the way.
@@joelanderson6777 It would be nice. They have the graphics already…
I have been using my HR Pedalboard in my studio for years and have never had the need for an editor! I can’t believe how many people see this as a big deal. Mine sits on the desk next to the mixer and it’s so easy to edit an create sounds in no time at all! An editor would be a pain in the arse, constantly changing between the daw and the editor! Even if they bring one out, I doubt I’d use it. This thing is for people who like the old school approach of adjusting pedals on the pedal…you know, like we did for 30 years!
@@officialWWM Yes but it’s 2023 and it has wifi and Bluetooth. An editor would be useful in certain situations.
It kinda is a Jack of all trades, master of none! The major isse is tha lack of I/Os.
1) It has only a single guitar input. This means that you need to physically unplug and plug in your guitars if you want to switch guitars on stage (between songs, say). It also means that you can't use Rickenbackers Ric-o-Sound* feature. Well, you can but that means sacrificing the left FX return, which is a very clumpsy workaround.
2) There are several issues with the outputs as well. Such as not being able to output the signal from different places in the chain, for the purpose of re-amping etc. One serious flaw is that the Guitar and Mic (Vocal) channels MUST be separate ALL the way, from input to output, to be of any use. Noone in their right mind would even consider sending a mix of the vocal and guitar to FOH!
Most of the issues mentioned in the video can be fixed with firmware updates, but these are hardware issues that can't. What Headrush should have done is offer extra I/O jacks. Either as a puchase option, an insert card or a breakout box.
I've been waiting for years for Line6 to update their ancient Helix to modern standards. Now I have a very difficult decision to make: Should I see if I can find workarounds for the Headrush Primes deficiencies, or see if Line6 picks up the gauntlet? Decisions, decisions, decisions.
* For those who don't know what Rick-o-Sound is: On some Rickenbacker guitars and basses, you can send the neck and bridge pickus to separate amps.
I agree with you. For me the Quad Cortex with a VL3x is the best option until we get a true all in one from someone.
I don't know of any modeller (except maybe AxeFX & QC which i don't know) that has multiple Guitar Inputs for your purpose, so i think for the masses its neglectable. The Mic can be send separately from the Guitar Signal and even has a Dry Out!
@@Worlds_Worst_Guitarist The Helix has an Aux in (intended for guitars with active piuckups). It also have four send/returns, that can be pressed into service. I gues you can add the Helix to your ever growing list.
"The Mic can be send separately from the Guitar Signal" And how do you achieve this without a dedicated output for the "Vocal parh"? ESP of some kind?
Yes there is a Dry Out. "Dry" (without FX) being the operative word! What's the point of that. None!
Good points. The first point could somewhat be addressed by picking up an
A/B box for switching between two guitars and they’re overall fairly cheap so it’s not a huge extra expense. Though it would have been nice for Headrush to have added it from the start
@@michaeloconnor6483 I'm affraid the a A/B box wouldn't work with the Rick-o-Sound. However, there is one solution that would solve all the I/O issues, without the need to physically redesign the product. The Headrush Prime has USB ports. So, all that it needed is for Headrush to release a breakout expander with 8 analog level switchable I/Os and ADAT. Then let these ports be accessible from software per preset.
That way:
1) The Headrush Prime would be covered in any, present or future, recording or live situation.
2) Maybe you don need the breakoutbox (I'd do), and wouldn't had to pay for it (I would).
If anyone reading this mails Headrush a request, they might see that there is a market for a breakout I/O expander and something about it.
This unit is garbage.
That’s a little harsh. It has some good features.
@@aaronshortmusic That doesn't come close to a Helix.
@@TheBbtlegit It’s just different. I did prefer the amp tones to the Helix. I just wish they had made it smaller and worked more on the vocal effects and I/O.
@@aaronshortmusic I had a Headrush pedalboard. Then I played on a Helix and goodbye Headrush. It was a huge difference.
@@TheBbtlegit The Quad Cortex is my favorite. I hope they add vocal effects to that at some point.
Thanks for the quick response Aaron! Do you know if you can pan the guitar and vocal right and left so you can send guitar only to one channel of your mixer, and vocal only to another mixer channel?
That’s a great question. I don’t know but if you figure it out please let me know as it would be useful.
The vocal harmony demo sounds terrible to me. More specifically it is not tracking quickly to vocal that it has to harmonize with. That delay is a deal breaker if you are a vocalist. It has to immediately harmonize with the vocal without any delay. For that reason alone I would not purchase this.
The humanize setting allows you to have the harmony come in behind the vocal to make it more natural but I agree that the harmonies don’t track as well as the TC pedals.