I actually did swap the IR on one of my patches for a new cab (Ownhammer which I LOVE), spent like, 10 minutes maybe tuning it to something that sounded cool, spent the weekend playing with it with the intention of getting used to it and then switch back to the IR and see if I notice a jump in quality and honestly I ended up just keeping the new cab. They did a fantastic job on them.
Indeed. I also feel more dynamic range possibilities with new cabs. They are more precise in small details. And sort of "feeling the air" of the cab. Great update!
I find that it is very important to dial in tone with music playing behind you. Not all tones that you will dial in will work once you start to compete with the band playing. Often a great tone that you build gets lost in the mix once you start playing with the band. Peace
Great advice. A very mid-heavy tone I didn't like much at the house sounded the best when I was playing live. Really stood out compared to what I thought was a better tone.
100% true. I gig mostly direct using in ears with a live band + keyboard/synth tracks..all my presets have been built and tweaked in that environment..
Had a chance to build an AC30 model with the dual cab using bluebells and playing with the mic placements. Just amazing! Opened up a whole new way to tone shape. 3.5 is changing the game
Switching from a dual cab to a new single cab saves a ton of dsp. I also like that you have the mic position controlled by snapshots for when you switch from a clean sound to high gain
But why would you want to switch from a Dual Cab to a Single Cab, even on the new firmware - You lose all the benefits of mixing two different Cabs and/or mixed mic settings. Even running dual Cabs the DSP hit will be less than what you had with an old Single Cab.
New cab models are amazing. I never went too far down the IR rabbit hole, I had a small handful I used. No more IRs for me. The Helix cabs and mics are tremendous.
I never get into using IRs because I wanted to force myself to learn how to dial in my HX Stomp on my own. It was a bit of a trial by fire, and after learning how to better dial in the Stock Cabs using High and Low cuts, I feel pretty good about my skills, but there is always more to learn and improve upon. I'm definitely moving over to Update 3.50, and will be importing some of my favorite Presets I made in the previous version into the new version. I'll then compare switching out the old Cabs for the New Cabs of the same model. The DSP savings, Mic flexibility, and ease of use on the new Cabs are so significant that not doing that seems a waste. John - You might want to consider making a quick Tutorial about how to "Extract Files From Backup" using HX Edit. Once your Presets are extracted from an existing Backup, you can then import individual ones into your current Setlist or other Setlist. Thanks
I did not initially get the whole 'the new cabs are great, thing...but now I do! With previous releases I basically used my fav cab (Bluebell and Princess) and used same settings on all presets.... and I am finding myself deleting the cabs off existing presets and trialling the new dual cabs. I am now using at least 5 different ones. They all have such an improved sound that now they really bring something unique to each sound...I am not even tinkering with them. So good out of the box
Hey John! Thanks for the fantastic video! This is a long shot but would you consider doing a breakdown of the riffs you are playing around 13:00 in this video?? I would love to see your technique on that, your pick attack/phrasing/fingering??
Oh man JNC that tone is SWEEEET. amazing. I want that one for sure. Love your playing. So so smooth. Yeah 3.5 is a game changer and will hurt a lot of sites trying to push using IRs. Now that Helix can move mics around in 3D space, no real need to use IRs unless you want a boutique amp / cab/ speaker/ mic combo not on the Helix.
Jonathan, i am begging you to make a patch bundle for the HX Stomp who covers "bread&butter" sounds so to speak. I'm an intermediate to advanced player, but i know your sonical experience is on another level. And as i'm learning different songs from different genres i would highly appreciate that. So stay safe and do your good work as always.
I’m actually really impressed with how the cabs sound after this update. The Dual IR block is dope for sure, but I’ve been using stock cabs since the update and have been really impressed with them. I think they may be my go-to from now on instead of the OH IR’s…not having to dig through IR’s is really nice and I sincerely feel like the stock cabs give them a solid run for their money.
QC user here, I use the dual IR loader with the Celestion V30 IRs. I really like the balanced ones, combining the R121/SM57 with the 121 just a tad under the 57.
Will there be a 3.5 folder added to the general directory which will include this Eric Lead preset? Thanks, your tones and playing are amazing and help inspire me to play more!
just as i thought "yeah this backing track sounds like 'oh caroline' by the 1975" you rip into the bridge melody haha. excellent job, what a tune, and album!
I have the ampero stomp 2. You can move mic around different positions, use different mics and different cabs. You can also use 2 different mics on a speaker. You can also load in you own IR’S. I don’t see the difference in the helix.
The Hotone is great too. But much like your comment came before mine, time is the difference. Did you have that Ampero Stomp 2 when the Helix came out in 2015? Or when the HX Stomp came out in 2018? Oh! Also the near decade of meaningful HX/Helix updates and support, and the amazing customer service Line6 is known for.
Before I fully understood what IRs were, I was beginning to think maybe I needed to cave in and consider starting to use them, because of all the hype around them. (I didn’t initially realize that they were profiles /captures, which I believe are inferior to modelling) But recently I watched a demo of a Tech21 PSA analog amp modeller, and at one point in the video the demonstrator turned off the built in analog cab sim - which everyone always talks trash about - and ran the PSA through an IR. Surprisingly, the analog cab sim sounded 10 times better than the IR. Even the person demoing it mentioned it. That just solidified my suspicion that the current idea that you “need IRs” is totally the result of people just hyping the “next new thing”, when they came out.
I've never been an IR fan personally as I play with a powercab and always want the optimal 'amp in the room' feel with the setup. 3.5 is defintley sounding better through my PC212+.
I’m a bassist but also play things like a baritone or bass vi as much as I like the new update there’s one thing that upsets me about it. No 12inch bass cabs. So I’m still using the irs for bass but for stuff like my bass vi I am using the stock cabs and loving it. I like the dual cab feature tho I’ve been experimenting with it with the little time I have.
I also play bass and haven’t seen very much support or community around using the helix products with bass, where do you get your irs and which ones do you gravitate towards? Any tone secrets or tips? Thanks a ton
@@BobJones-bh9qz there really isn’t much at all I’ve just done a lot of work myself to figure things out I get irs in bulk my favorite irs comes from chop tones vol 1 I really love there Mesa 2x12 cab my trick on getting good sounds is adding a amp block to a simple eq block (1.5k boosted)to adding the ir what this does is it adds more mids to cut through the mix better I see it in a recording stand point kinda like mixing and mastering a big one is not adding so much bass in a recording if you add so much bass it’ll distort real quick I’ll usually go about 50% and find where it sounds big and stop before it does that the mids on a amp are your friend the more the better treble to taste as for the amp gain boost the volume channel and amp to make and use the gain as a volume kinda like they do on the svt. If it’s not loud enough use the ir volume or the output volume at the end to get more I really don’t like compression but in recordings I just use a compressor at the end nothing special never use it live. I’ve been using the hx stomp since 2019 I really love the unit I bought it because I got a fine for playing my loud amp in my condo and that did slice my problem if you want more info just ask!
Confused after reading the comments below. People are saying they still prefer IRs over the cabs. The cabs in the Helix / HX update ARE indeed IRs now, correct? Some of the comments below are effectively saying they prefer IRs over IRs. Let me know if I am mistaken?
Great to have more ways to finesse the sound. I'm going to be taking things slowly, updating presets as I go. I'm already loving the extra DSP which opens up what you can do in a preset.
some of the OH IRs just already sound kinda 'perfect', like the heavy hitters sm57 sweet spot captures. i still massively appreciate of course this update and i will check out the new cabs more thoroughly. i use helix native so using external convolvers and DSP is not an issue anyway.
@@MarkMMusic i never tried using midi controllers with native as I typically use it as a mixing tool to treat DI signals and especially bass tracks. i think if you use it that way the hardware might be a good solution.
@@MarkMMusic I actually set up an older Floor Midi Controller from Native Instruments (Guitar Rig Kontrol 3), and had it working pretty awesome. I have a Helix Floor but I wanted something I could run from my office so I set up Native with Reaper and used the Midi Controller - It also has the audio interface built in. Took a bit of time setting up the midi commands but once I did it ran alot like my hardware unit. I don't use it anymore and it's collecting dust now since I closed my office during Covid but it was great setup when I used it - I think the audio running via Native sounded better than the Helix Floor because of more processing power but it could have been in my head.
ive only been able to put 4 or 5 hours experimentation it so far, but at this point, well-made IRs still sound superior to the new Dual cabs when duping the settings. Maybe with experience i'll change my mind, but even in your vid here, there is a clear difference.
These new cabs are great! It took me a while to get them sounding as good as my IRs but not only I was able to but I was able to improve that tone, the flexibility alone makes it a no brainer over IRs
Nice playing as always. I started listening to your video in my headphones without seeing what was on the screen. When the sound switched to the OwnHammer IR, I thought it didn’t sound quite as good and glanced at the screen to see what was going on.
Hey John, I found with the new cabs, I can finally put the delays and reverb before the cab kinda like an fx loop, and I've found they sit really well and make the fx smoother. Probably not the best for church music but for other music it works great
I mean, I'm still going to use my IRs. I've got too many sounds that I love with IRs. I was playing with the new cabs most of the day yesterday though, and there's a good chance I'll use them on a record at some point. Probably the country thing. That's a bit more forgiving, sound wise.
I am starting to see a general push back on IR's. ...not that they are a bad idea by any stretch. It's just more "what kind of day were they having in the studio that day?" kind of thing. Just like everything else, there are good IR'S and over rated ones. We have also seen some demo's where guys will A--B between Stock Cab simulation with EQ vs newer IR's and guess what????......I like how you said, IR'S are a fixed thing and you have to go through a lot to find one you like.....Just like Cab Sim's?
Have you tried getting the EJ lead sound using the Tube Driver pedal model and using it’s EQ and your guitar’s tone control to achieve his sound? Get as close as you can with that and then start moving around mic placement and hi cuts if necessary? I usually am not hi-cutting any lower than 6k
I think the 3.5 speakers are much better than before, but honestly I have a Celestion Vintage 30 IR file that I love that still sounds better to me than anything in my HX Stomp.
I have a celestion evh 412 (IR and real life) . Both sound great. I use the two notes captor x. It allows multiple mike positions on their proprietary IR’s but not on 3rd party IR’s. Having said that, the celestion EVH is the shit.
Nice Les Paul, don't often see you playing one of those. I've been thinking about getting one myself, had a Harley Benton LP-type at one point and also owned an Epiphone once upon a time, but there's a Gibson that's calling to me. Think these new cabs sound great. I hadn't used IRs that much previously, always felt I could get decent tones out of the legacy cabs, but I do like the new ones, particularly the DSP reduction
I prefer using the cab models over IR's. IRs are great but too many options and takes away from creativity. You can actually match most IRs with EQ matching software. Besides, Helix 3.5 upgrade is a game changer when it comes to cabinets. Thank you for posting another great video. Your tone is amazing. I could listen to this all day!
Technically all an impulse response is is a kind of detailed EQ curve, so you can absolutely match them with a sufficiently powerful EQ. The Melda Production MFreeformEqualizer plugin can load IRs and show you the curve and vice versa, it’s a useful tool.
@@Stringprodigy This is called option paralysis. Its a waste of time even trying out boat load of IRs out there whereas Line 6 already gives you the option to teak. IRs are just are more or less static EQ presets. If one is able to achieve the tone just with the Cabs sims alone...they should stick with it. You would be wasting time with IRs
@@SonnetGomes nonsense. IR’s are already dialed in and unless you are an audio engineer, you’re not going to get superior results to third party IR’s. BTW the new cabs ARE IR’s
Are your current "available for sale" Helix Floor presets restructured to use the new 3.5 cabs w/o IRs? Or are they tied to the IR that you have listed in the package description?
Excellent video. I'm still in IRs. Don't have the time right now to do the switch to stock cabs. Not sure will I even do the transfer. I'm happy with my sound.. for now :) But this A/B switching is really good idea
Couple questions. Can you make a bass sound like an octave up or like a 12-string bass like Jermey from Pearljam , also can you detune a specific string like drop the E string to D ?
It's the software update, not just the actual sounds, that'll move me away from IRs. I'm sure you can get other software you can load your own IRs into and then navigate them the same way, but I use HXEdit only and I'm not getting involved with plugins etc.
Dumb question - What’s the difference between cabs in a Helix Stomp and cabs from an IR loader like the Captor X? It's Christmas soon (🎉🎁) and I need to decide.
cabs are modeling a cab with lots of adjustability in mic placement and mic choice. IR is a static non adjustable file that captures the response of a one time frequency sweep of cab, speaker, mic, mic placement, and room. if you want to save money and have options, go with helix. if you want to pay for IR captures or want to capture your own, go with an IR loader
@@shanetron1146 Well, to be fair, specifically the Two Notes "Dynamic IRs" (used in their C.A.B. M, Wall of Sound plugin, and Captor X) does allow you to adjustic mic choice, mic position, distance, room etc. dynamically. So they are closer to the new Helix cabs than traditional IRs.
It isn't a dumb question and the answer is nothing really. Line 6 does it their way and the same for Two Notes with pretty much the same end result. However, I will say that the question your asking is "odd", considering these are two completely different products. At it's core the Two Notes Captor X is a reactive load box and the HX Stomp is an all in one guitar rig system. Yes they can do much more than that but that's really what they are. Unless you need the small form factor, you should get the HX Stomp XL. It's only $50.00 more than the Stomp and worth it. If you have lots of amps or even one tube amp you always play and you want to play quietly with or without a cabinet, get the Captor X. Otherwise, the HX Stomp XL get's you way more for your money. I've had mine for almost a year now, ask me anything.
@@tenzura you are right, it is an odd question. I’ll rephrase it. I’m really trying to understand if there is any difference in final sound between adding an IR somewhere before the power or pre-amplifier stage and between the power amp and PA.
Thanks for all the info.Apart from new cabs, does the update come with any new Its by any chance? If so how do I locate them.I see all my user IR's on the IR list.
from the video and also my experience live gigging, the cabs have more mids and cut better in a band situation. IR's normaly have too much bass and get lost in the live mix. cabs are more balanced
Well since I’ve been totally happy with Line 6 Cabs, long before 3.5, it’s doubtful I will go back to IRs (except acoustic gtr patches). The question on my mind is.. are the new cabs that much better than the old ones?
The new cabs are really good. Honestly it almost made me sell the Cab M , however the Cab M still sounds better than the cabs (to me at-least) plus since I only have the stomp the cab M helps me free up dsp. But hats off to the people at line 6 the new cabs are amazing !
Yeah, get rid of the locked eq block and give us the new cabs...lo e my pod go...but this update kinda made me wonder if I should have saved and got the LT..??? What I said at the top would change that opinion.
@@darrenjackson582 it is possible to “jailbreak” your presets and remove the locked blocks and basically put in whatever you want, just look up jailbreak pod go. The thing I’m still waiting on is favorites, that would be awesome
@@darrenjackson582 I was still able to do it, I followed All About Worship Guitar’s video on it. If that doesn’t work I can email you a jailbroken preset and you can copy your current preset’s settings to it, and make a lot of copies basically replacing the current default preset. That’s what I did
I feel like they are better than my MLsound IRs for one thing, the "in the room sound" but I feel MLSound nails the "after mastering" sound. When I play along some foo fighters for example, the MLS IR fits way better in the mix And yes I'm using dual IRs even if the IRs are the same, it opens up the sound and gives you a bit more control on the balance,etc... I need to load the other MLS IRs I got to play a bit more with the dual IR thing
I've tried IR's and I'm not against them by any means.. if people like them to get a sound they want, I'm all for it, but for me personally, I never use them as I feel I never need them to enhance my sound.
Hi John! Do you know what is the resolution of the stock cabs in the Helix? Could putting two stock cabs in the same core reduce the audio quality? Because it seems to me that it does
I literally changed all my presets to the new cabs, I used Bogren Digital IR’s (I’m a metal dude, those for me were the best IR’s for that) compared it to the new Cali 4x12 cab in the Helix… and basically I too made the switch 😂😂
Hey John! If I buy your helix patches, will they work on helix native as well? I know that it's the same modeling software, but does helix native use the same patch filetypes?
Hi John, I've been following your channel for quite some time and i recently ended up getting a helix and powercab. Now i have tried replicating some of your tones but ultimately they sound nothing like what i hear on your videos. They sound and feel thin, lack of depth, and a bit shrill. Is this expected for recordings to sound different from playback? Sorry for the long comment. Cheers
Hey Cordy! I have a question for you! With the 3.5 update, I wanted to work in a preset that uses the poly sustain. With the left over CPU, I was looking for an amplifier or stomp + amplifier to get a decent clean, overdrive and distortion sound for chords. Or a clean, overdrive and lead tone preset. Or if anyone has any suggestions it would be so helpful.
No chance that I'm aware of. Saw a post the other day from one of the developers saying there is no intention changing the existing amps to not mess up peoples presets but if an amp we're to change it would be a new model
@@kylemundy8871 I honestly love the current state of a lot of the amps. I've found going back to them with new IRs or the new cabs makes a big difference. I use mostly the high gain newer models. I don't touch the Marshalls or Fender stuff much but every time I come back to the Litigator for low gain tones I feel like I don't need anything else. I lose sitting down and messing with tones but the vast majority of the amps I use have been great.
Hey John, i'm new to the channel. First of all, nice and awesome playing. Now I'm wondering, where is this "folder" you speak of in your info box? "The preset I'm using here will be added to the folder "Eric Lead 35"" - I tried to get behind it but I just can't find it. Can you help me? Thank you! And keep on doing what you do! Subbed.
I think that if you have found your perfect IR, it's great. But honestly, if you didn't, just stop looking for it and use the new stock cabs. Yes you will have tweak them a bit, but it is still better than testing hundreds of different IRs for hours/days/months...
Other than the new cab system moving everyone's cheese re: presets they've been using up until now, it sounds way better and more alive/realistic than the high cut kludge.
Forget the cabs for a minute… your playing is impeccable here, John! Bravo!
I actually did swap the IR on one of my patches for a new cab (Ownhammer which I LOVE), spent like, 10 minutes maybe tuning it to something that sounded cool, spent the weekend playing with it with the intention of getting used to it and then switch back to the IR and see if I notice a jump in quality and honestly I ended up just keeping the new cab. They did a fantastic job on them.
Indeed. I also feel more dynamic range possibilities with new cabs. They are more precise in small details. And sort of "feeling the air" of the cab. Great update!
I find that it is very important to dial in tone with music playing behind you. Not all tones that you will dial in will work once you start to compete with the band playing. Often a great tone that you build gets lost in the mix once you start playing with the band. Peace
That is the truth bro bro it’s the only way to build a preset !
Yes! you're right
Great advice. A very mid-heavy tone I didn't like much at the house sounded the best when I was playing live. Really stood out compared to what I thought was a better tone.
100% true. I gig mostly direct using in ears with a live band + keyboard/synth tracks..all my presets have been built and tweaked in that environment..
This is honestly the best advice I've ever seen this year about building tone.
Had a chance to build an AC30 model with the dual cab using bluebells and playing with the mic placements. Just amazing! Opened up a whole new way to tone shape. 3.5 is changing the game
Switching from a dual cab to a new single cab saves a ton of dsp. I also like that you have the mic position controlled by snapshots for when you switch from a clean sound to high gain
But why would you want to switch from a Dual Cab to a Single Cab, even on the new firmware - You lose all the benefits of mixing two different Cabs and/or mixed mic settings. Even running dual Cabs the DSP hit will be less than what you had with an old Single Cab.
New cab models are amazing. I never went too far down the IR rabbit hole, I had a small handful I used. No more IRs for me. The Helix cabs and mics are tremendous.
the dual IR feature was the game changer for me.
10:33 riff sounds charming… 🫠
I never get into using IRs because I wanted to force myself to learn how to dial in my HX Stomp on my own. It was a bit of a trial by fire, and after learning how to better dial in the Stock Cabs using High and Low cuts, I feel pretty good about my skills, but there is always more to learn and improve upon.
I'm definitely moving over to Update 3.50, and will be importing some of my favorite Presets I made in the previous version into the new version. I'll then compare switching out the old Cabs for the New Cabs of the same model. The DSP savings, Mic flexibility, and ease of use on the new Cabs are so significant that not doing that seems a waste.
John - You might want to consider making a quick Tutorial about how to "Extract Files From Backup" using HX Edit. Once your Presets are extracted from an existing Backup, you can then import individual ones into your current Setlist or other Setlist. Thanks
Literally could not tell the difference! Well done line 6.
I did not initially get the whole 'the new cabs are great, thing...but now I do! With previous releases I basically used my fav cab (Bluebell and Princess) and used same settings on all presets.... and I am finding myself deleting the cabs off existing presets and trialling the new dual cabs. I am now using at least 5 different ones. They all have such an improved sound that now they really bring something unique to each sound...I am not even tinkering with them. So good out of the box
Hey John! Thanks for the fantastic video!
This is a long shot but would you consider doing a breakdown of the riffs you are playing around 13:00 in this video?? I would love to see your technique on that, your pick attack/phrasing/fingering??
Loving that Oh Caroline Jam in the intro !!!
I like how you casually dropped “beef curtains” in the middle of the video 😂
A refreshing change from position 4. J/k 😊
Man, this is great. I never got much into IRs. Always seemed like. Alain. I’d much rather have everything in one place like this.
Oh man JNC that tone is SWEEEET. amazing. I want that one for sure. Love your playing. So so smooth. Yeah 3.5 is a game changer and will hurt a lot of sites trying to push using IRs. Now that Helix can move mics around in 3D space, no real need to use IRs unless you want a boutique amp / cab/ speaker/ mic combo not on the Helix.
WOW Dude that was some excellent legato playing during the intro. I can see it’s time for me to go back to the woodshed for a bit 😄
Jonathan, i am begging you to make a patch bundle for the HX Stomp who covers "bread&butter" sounds so to speak. I'm an intermediate to advanced player, but i know your sonical experience is on another level. And as i'm learning different songs from different genres i would highly appreciate that. So stay safe and do your good work as always.
I’m actually really impressed with how the cabs sound after this update. The Dual IR block is dope for sure, but I’ve been using stock cabs since the update and have been really impressed with them. I think they may be my go-to from now on instead of the OH IR’s…not having to dig through IR’s is really nice and I sincerely feel like the stock cabs give them a solid run for their money.
Reay nice update. I have some fav IRs that I will still use along with the new cabs. Dual IR is sweet.
QC user here, I use the dual IR loader with the Celestion V30 IRs. I really like the balanced ones, combining the R121/SM57 with the 121 just a tad under the 57.
Will there be a 3.5 folder added to the general directory which will include this Eric Lead preset? Thanks, your tones and playing are amazing and help inspire me to play more!
just as i thought "yeah this backing track sounds like 'oh caroline' by the 1975" you rip into the bridge melody haha. excellent job, what a tune, and album!
Dude you're killing it again with the intros. Had to watch it twice
Yep. The tweakability is really great. I love the new cabs.
I haven't delved that deep into it but I did not know they changed the cabs. That's awesome! I can't wait to try those
I have the ampero stomp 2. You can move mic around different positions, use different mics and different cabs. You can also use 2 different mics on a speaker. You can also load in you own IR’S. I don’t see the difference in the helix.
The Hotone is great too.
But much like your comment came before mine, time is the difference.
Did you have that Ampero Stomp 2 when the Helix came out in 2015? Or when the HX Stomp came out in 2018?
Oh! Also the near decade of meaningful HX/Helix updates and support, and the amazing customer service Line6 is known for.
Before I fully understood what IRs were, I was beginning to think maybe I needed to cave in and consider starting to use them, because of all the hype around them. (I didn’t initially realize that they were profiles /captures, which I believe are inferior to modelling) But recently I watched a demo of a Tech21 PSA analog amp modeller, and at one point in the video the demonstrator turned off the built in analog cab sim - which everyone always talks trash about - and ran the PSA through an IR. Surprisingly, the analog cab sim sounded 10 times better than the IR. Even the person demoing it mentioned it. That just solidified my suspicion that the current idea that you “need IRs” is totally the result of people just hyping the “next new thing”, when they came out.
I've never been an IR fan personally as I play with a powercab and always want the optimal 'amp in the room' feel with the setup. 3.5 is defintley sounding better through my PC212+.
I play with my catalyst 200 as a power amp, and agree with. I love dialing my own sounds for the situation.
I'm so glad I saw this, I just upgraded to 3.5 .
it's great, 8 blocks, and more options !
I tried the new IRs and honestly my few go to IRs I still choose over the stock cabs.
I’m a bassist but also play things like a baritone or bass vi as much as I like the new update there’s one thing that upsets me about it. No 12inch bass cabs. So I’m still using the irs for bass but for stuff like my bass vi I am using the stock cabs and loving it. I like the dual cab feature tho I’ve been experimenting with it with the little time I have.
I also play bass and haven’t seen very much support or community around using the helix products with bass, where do you get your irs and which ones do you gravitate towards? Any tone secrets or tips? Thanks a ton
@@BobJones-bh9qz there really isn’t much at all I’ve just done a lot of work myself to figure things out I get irs in bulk my favorite irs comes from chop tones vol 1 I really love there Mesa 2x12 cab my trick on getting good sounds is adding a amp block to a simple eq block (1.5k boosted)to adding the ir what this does is it adds more mids to cut through the mix better I see it in a recording stand point kinda like mixing and mastering a big one is not adding so much bass in a recording if you add so much bass it’ll distort real quick I’ll usually go about 50% and find where it sounds big and stop before it does that the mids on a amp are your friend the more the better treble to taste as for the amp gain boost the volume channel and amp to make and use the gain as a volume kinda like they do on the svt. If it’s not loud enough use the ir volume or the output volume at the end to get more I really don’t like compression but in recordings I just use a compressor at the end nothing special never use it live. I’ve been using the hx stomp since 2019 I really love the unit I bought it because I got a fine for playing my loud amp in my condo and that did slice my problem if you want more info just ask!
@@trunks828 awesome! Thanks so much for the help!
I like it that yr VIZ type humour shows. Great advice too. Thanks
JNC, I love your presentations. Thanks
Confused after reading the comments below. People are saying they still prefer IRs over the cabs. The cabs in the Helix / HX update ARE indeed IRs now, correct? Some of the comments below are effectively saying they prefer IRs over IRs. Let me know if I am mistaken?
Great to have more ways to finesse the sound. I'm going to be taking things slowly, updating presets as I go.
I'm already loving the extra DSP which opens up what you can do in a preset.
some of the OH IRs just already sound kinda 'perfect', like the heavy hitters sm57 sweet spot captures. i still massively appreciate of course this update and i will check out the new cabs more thoroughly.
i use helix native so using external convolvers and DSP is not an issue anyway.
I'm thinking of going this way with native, can I ask what controller(s) you're using??
@@MarkMMusic i never tried using midi controllers with native as I typically use it as a mixing tool to treat DI signals and especially bass tracks. i think if you use it that way the hardware might be a good solution.
@@MarkMMusic I actually set up an older Floor Midi Controller from Native Instruments (Guitar Rig Kontrol 3), and had it working pretty awesome. I have a Helix Floor but I wanted something I could run from my office so I set up Native with Reaper and used the Midi Controller - It also has the audio interface built in. Took a bit of time setting up the midi commands but once I did it ran alot like my hardware unit. I don't use it anymore and it's collecting dust now since I closed my office during Covid but it was great setup when I used it - I think the audio running via Native sounded better than the Helix Floor because of more processing power but it could have been in my head.
Will the Pod Go get an update with the new cabs ? Hello Line 6 !
ive only been able to put 4 or 5 hours experimentation it so far, but at this point, well-made IRs still sound superior to the new Dual cabs when duping the settings. Maybe with experience i'll change my mind, but even in your vid here, there is a clear difference.
These new cabs are great! It took me a while to get them sounding as good as my IRs but not only I was able to but I was able to improve that tone, the flexibility alone makes it a no brainer over IRs
Nice playing as always. I started listening to your video in my headphones without seeing what was on the screen. When the sound switched to the OwnHammer IR, I thought it didn’t sound quite as good and glanced at the screen to see what was going on.
The new cabs are SO SIMPLE and quick to get a great tone, especially in HX Edit where you can see it. Also that LP 😍🤤
Hey John, I found with the new cabs, I can finally put the delays and reverb before the cab kinda like an fx loop, and I've found they sit really well and make the fx smoother. Probably not the best for church music but for other music it works great
Actually , Hislop and bethel use this very approach! Effects in front of the amp. I’ve used both in church just depends on the situation.
@@Bunn4Funn Does he mean after the amp but before the cab?
@@Bunn4Funn I'm not talking about before the amp, that's a different thing. After the amp but before the cab
Totally agree... tones are there and way better work flow for sure!
It sounds like you are getting more comfortable with the Les Paul. It sounds great.
As an old tube amp guy, the tones you get are awesome! Might have to do a rethink.
Great playing. 👍
I mean, I'm still going to use my IRs. I've got too many sounds that I love with IRs. I was playing with the new cabs most of the day yesterday though, and there's a good chance I'll use them on a record at some point. Probably the country thing. That's a bit more forgiving, sound wise.
Are your presets re-worked with the new 3.5 update? I love so many of the tones I hear in your videos.
Don’t care how it’s made as much as that tone you have l! It’s phenomenal
I’m now actually using helix native signal chain also as a cab/eq/effects unit
So neural dsp or amplitube wjth cabs disabled and helix does the rest
I am starting to see a general push back on IR's. ...not that they are a bad idea by any stretch. It's just more "what kind of day were they having in the studio that day?" kind of thing. Just like everything else, there are good IR'S and over rated ones. We have also seen some demo's where guys will A--B between Stock Cab simulation with EQ vs newer IR's and guess what????......I like how you said, IR'S are a fixed thing and you have to go through a lot to find one you like.....Just like Cab Sim's?
Have you tried getting the EJ lead sound using the Tube Driver pedal model and using it’s EQ and your guitar’s tone control to achieve his sound? Get as close as you can with that and then start moving around mic placement and hi cuts if necessary? I usually am not hi-cutting any lower than 6k
yeah awesome playing. Which video would be the closest to teaching these legato sequences ? Thanks!
I think the 3.5 speakers are much better than before, but honestly I have a Celestion Vintage 30 IR file that I love that still sounds better to me than anything in my HX Stomp.
I have a celestion evh 412 (IR and real life) . Both sound great. I use the two notes captor x.
It allows multiple mike positions on their proprietary IR’s but not on 3rd party IR’s.
Having said that, the celestion EVH is the shit.
Nice Les Paul, don't often see you playing one of those. I've been thinking about getting one myself, had a Harley Benton LP-type at one point and also owned an Epiphone once upon a time, but there's a Gibson that's calling to me. Think these new cabs sound great. I hadn't used IRs that much previously, always felt I could get decent tones out of the legacy cabs, but I do like the new ones, particularly the DSP reduction
I prefer using the cab models over IR's. IRs are great but too many options and takes away from creativity. You can actually match most IRs with EQ matching software. Besides, Helix 3.5 upgrade is a game changer when it comes to cabinets. Thank you for posting another great video. Your tone is amazing. I could listen to this all day!
Technically all an impulse response is is a kind of detailed EQ curve, so you can absolutely match them with a sufficiently powerful EQ. The Melda Production MFreeformEqualizer plugin can load IRs and show you the curve and vice versa, it’s a useful tool.
“Too many options and takes away from creativity”. lol what nonsense!
@@Stringprodigy This is called option paralysis. Its a waste of time even trying out boat load of IRs out there whereas Line 6 already gives you the option to teak. IRs are just are more or less static EQ presets. If one is able to achieve the tone just with the Cabs sims alone...they should stick with it. You would be wasting time with IRs
@@SonnetGomes nonsense. IR’s are already dialed in and unless you are an audio engineer, you’re not going to get superior results to third party IR’s. BTW the new cabs ARE IR’s
I would love to have that “Eric lead” preset. If it’s on the website I didn’t see it.
Wow…. Just a couplevof mins in…. Such awsome fluid playing.
Behind the old John Cordy beef curtain😂
Are your current "available for sale" Helix Floor presets restructured to use the new 3.5 cabs w/o IRs? Or are they tied to the IR that you have listed in the package description?
Excellent video. I'm still in IRs. Don't have the time right now to do the switch to stock cabs. Not sure will I even do the transfer. I'm happy with my sound.. for now :) But this A/B switching is really good idea
John, your style reminds me very much of Michael Dowdle. Are you familar with him? Great playing!
The update has definitely sorted it
..
Couple questions. Can you make a bass sound like an octave up or like a 12-string bass like Jermey from Pearljam , also can you detune a specific string like drop the E string to D ?
20 min into testing the new cabs and I thought it sounded great and somewhat better than an IR.
It's the software update, not just the actual sounds, that'll move me away from IRs. I'm sure you can get other software you can load your own IRs into and then navigate them the same way, but I use HXEdit only and I'm not getting involved with plugins etc.
Dumb question - What’s the difference between cabs in a Helix Stomp and cabs from an IR loader like the Captor X? It's Christmas soon (🎉🎁) and I need to decide.
cabs are modeling a cab with lots of adjustability in mic placement and mic choice. IR is a static non adjustable file that captures the response of a one time frequency sweep of cab, speaker, mic, mic placement, and room. if you want to save money and have options, go with helix. if you want to pay for IR captures or want to capture your own, go with an IR loader
@@shanetron1146 Well, to be fair, specifically the Two Notes "Dynamic IRs" (used in their C.A.B. M, Wall of Sound plugin, and Captor X) does allow you to adjustic mic choice, mic position, distance, room etc. dynamically. So they are closer to the new Helix cabs than traditional IRs.
It isn't a dumb question and the answer is nothing really. Line 6 does it their way and the same for Two Notes with pretty much the same end result. However, I will say that the question your asking is "odd", considering these are two completely different products.
At it's core the Two Notes Captor X is a reactive load box and the HX Stomp is an all in one guitar rig system. Yes they can do much more than that but that's really what they are. Unless you need the small form factor, you should get the HX Stomp XL. It's only $50.00 more than the Stomp and worth it. If you have lots of amps or even one tube amp you always play and you want to play quietly with or without a cabinet, get the Captor X. Otherwise, the HX Stomp XL get's you way more for your money. I've had mine for almost a year now, ask me anything.
@@tenzura you are right, it is an odd question. I’ll rephrase it. I’m really trying to understand if there is any difference in final sound between adding an IR somewhere before the power or pre-amplifier stage and between the power amp and PA.
Thanks for all the info.Apart from new cabs, does the update come with any new Its by any chance? If so how do I locate them.I see all my user IR's on the IR list.
Great advice, the new cabs are great
lol my dude just casually slipping in the "beef curtains" comment with a straight face
from the video and also my experience live gigging, the cabs have more mids and cut better in a band situation. IR's normaly have too much bass and get lost in the live mix. cabs are more balanced
Well since I’ve been totally happy with Line 6 Cabs, long before 3.5, it’s doubtful I will go back to IRs (except acoustic gtr patches). The question on my mind is.. are the new cabs that much better than the old ones?
yes. yes they are
Immensely better than previous
Yes, better than most ir's
@@jojobizen445 - after a good workout today with some of the factory presets with the new cabs, I definitely agree.
The new cabs are really good. Honestly it almost made me sell the Cab M , however the Cab M still sounds better than the cabs (to me at-least) plus since I only have the stomp the cab M helps me free up dsp.
But hats off to the people at line 6 the new cabs are amazing !
Game changer for me too, love it, tames the fizz
I’d be very happy if this facility also came to the PodGO
Yeah, get rid of the locked eq block and give us the new cabs...lo e my pod go...but this update kinda made me wonder if I should have saved and got the LT..??? What I said at the top would change that opinion.
@@darrenjackson582 it is possible to “jailbreak” your presets and remove the locked blocks and basically put in whatever you want, just look up jailbreak pod go. The thing I’m still waiting on is favorites, that would be awesome
@@BobJones-bh9qz I heard that with update 1.4 on pod go line 6 had removed the ability to do the jailbreak thing?!
@@darrenjackson582 I was still able to do it, I followed All About Worship Guitar’s video on it. If that doesn’t work I can email you a jailbroken preset and you can copy your current preset’s settings to it, and make a lot of copies basically replacing the current default preset. That’s what I did
@@BobJones-bh9qz ohh okay....I'll give it a go...thanks for the heads up and the kind offer of sending me a preset...very good of you!!!
HI John, have you uploaded any 3.5 presets to your Googledrive? I dont see a separate 3.5 folder in there
Love your intro song you’re playing. Are you improvising over “Found Our Love” by Alex Alexander?
I feel like I want just a tiny bit more power than the Stomp but not all the way up to the Helix LT.
I feel like they are better than my MLsound IRs for one thing, the "in the room sound" but I feel MLSound nails the "after mastering" sound. When I play along some foo fighters for example, the MLS IR fits way better in the mix
And yes I'm using dual IRs even if the IRs are the same, it opens up the sound and gives you a bit more control on the balance,etc... I need to load the other MLS IRs I got to play a bit more with the dual IR thing
I've tried IR's and I'm not against them by any means.. if people like them to get a sound they want, I'm all for it, but for me personally, I never use them as I feel I never need them to enhance my sound.
Hi John! Do you know what is the resolution of the stock cabs in the Helix? Could putting two stock cabs in the same core reduce the audio quality? Because it seems to me that it does
I literally changed all my presets to the new cabs, I used Bogren Digital IR’s (I’m a metal dude, those for me were the best IR’s for that) compared it to the new Cali 4x12 cab in the Helix… and basically I too made the switch 😂😂
Me too 🙄
Hey John! If I buy your helix patches, will they work on helix native as well? I know that it's the same modeling software, but does helix native use the same patch filetypes?
What external cab/speaker are you using?
When building Eric Johnson style lead presets like these, what amp do you usually select?
This is fantastic John. Is this applicable for the Pod Go as well?
It isn't yet no, but I'm hopeful that they will do something with the new cabs for Pod Go
@@johnnathancordy Thanks for replying
Hey John, quick question do you have the pedal connected to a amp or flat monitor, or is running straight to a pc?
Hi John, I've been following your channel for quite some time and i recently ended up getting a helix and powercab. Now i have tried replicating some of your tones but ultimately they sound nothing like what i hear on your videos. They sound and feel thin, lack of depth, and a bit shrill. Is this expected for recordings to sound different from playback?
Sorry for the long comment. Cheers
Hey Cordy! I have a question for you! With the 3.5 update, I wanted to work in a preset that uses the poly sustain. With the left over CPU, I was looking for an amplifier or stomp + amplifier to get a decent clean, overdrive and distortion sound for chords. Or a clean, overdrive and lead tone preset.
Or if anyone has any suggestions it would be so helpful.
While I feel the new Helix update may have leapfrogged them a bit, this is basically how I feel about the Boss GT stock cabs.
Hi John,
Tones sound wicked
Where do you add the Code for the 40% Discount
My whole signal path from fingers to ears is analog. I have no use for IR’s
Any chance they'll go back to the old amps and clean them up
No chance that I'm aware of. Saw a post the other day from one of the developers saying there is no intention changing the existing amps to not mess up peoples presets but if an amp we're to change it would be a new model
@@pewpiter thanks for the reply. Here's hoping for a complete rehaul as: version 2.0
@@kylemundy8871 I honestly love the current state of a lot of the amps. I've found going back to them with new IRs or the new cabs makes a big difference. I use mostly the high gain newer models. I don't touch the Marshalls or Fender stuff much but every time I come back to the Litigator for low gain tones I feel like I don't need anything else. I lose sitting down and messing with tones but the vast majority of the amps I use have been great.
@@pewpiter what platform are the developers on that talk about future updates?
Hey John, i'm new to the channel. First of all, nice and awesome playing. Now I'm wondering, where is this "folder" you speak of in your info box? "The preset I'm using here will be added to the folder "Eric Lead 35"" - I tried to get behind it but I just can't find it. Can you help me? Thank you! And keep on doing what you do! Subbed.
How about dynamic ? I’ve heard people saying that IR always got better dynamic when playing, is this true? Awesome skill btw!
I think that if you have found your perfect IR, it's great.
But honestly, if you didn't, just stop looking for it and use the new stock cabs. Yes you will have tweak them a bit, but it is still better than testing hundreds of different IRs for hours/days/months...
Really great playing! new cab sounding fantastic as well
Other than the new cab system moving everyone's cheese re: presets they've been using up until now, it sounds way better and more alive/realistic than the high cut kludge.
When you record your demo tracks are you recording in stereo?