Helix Floor/LT/HX/Stomp/PodGo owners' Club - Tips, Ideas & Patches

[dave_bass5]

44 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Just thinking that a TRS --> TS cable would be the way to go here?

Be interested what expression pedals folks are using with their Helix kit and if they are Helix specific kit, whether these are completely fine to use with non Helix pedals (which I would assume / hope they would be)?

I tried with a stereo to mono adapter on the end of the TRS cable and this didnt work. Not sure its the correct thing to use, but I only had joy with TRS.

[LukeFRC]

You need to look up which ring is the ground - I’m pretty sure you can hook up two expession pedals, or two switches

[dave_bass5]

Yep, but that’s not the question.

 

[LukeFRC]

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

Yep, but that’s not the question.

 

So what was the question? TRS will have a common ground and two rings - one for each switch or Pedal. Which is why summing to mono didn’t work. 
work out the wiring and any pedal that works in the same way will probably work 

[dave_bass5]

4 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

So what was the question? TRS will have a common ground and two rings - one for each switch or Pedal. Which is why summing to mono didn’t work. 
work out the wiring and any pedal that works in the same way will probably work 

The question was

“Now I’m puzzled. Is it now a case that TRS do work ok? Was this something that changed over the past couple of years? Were  those people just not working hard enough to get it working......or are am i going mad”

I wasn’t asking how to do it, as i said ive already done it, but have we always been able to do this? Reading old posts (2-3 years old) people were saying only a very small selection of these pedals work, due to the Helix needing TS and that TRS needed modification to work. 

Sorry if that wasn’t clear in my first post. 

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by dave_bass5

[acidbass]

Just getting to grips with the HX Stomp - oh my what a unit! I've added a 50hz low cut EQ block and Rochester comp with a 4:1 ratio to literally every patch I create. Such a clean, even sound! Made a great patch for Plug In Baby (Muse) and also a few automatic drop tuning patches for when my band tunes to drop C etc. So useful and I've only scratched the surface!

[Higgie]

4 hours ago, acidbass said:

Just getting to grips with the HX Stomp - oh my what a unit! I've added a 50hz low cut EQ block and Rochester comp with a 4:1 ratio to literally every patch I create. Such a clean, even sound! Made a great patch for Plug In Baby (Muse) and also a few automatic drop tuning patches for when my band tunes to drop C etc. So useful and I've only scratched the surface!

If all you're doing with the EQ block is cutting 50Hz, might I recommend you look at the Global EQ and do it there? Saves you doing it on every patch, and gives you another block to play with!

[acidbass]

1 hour ago, Higgie said:

If all you're doing with the EQ block is cutting 50Hz, might I recommend you look at the Global EQ and do it there? Saves you doing it on every patch, and gives you another block to play with!

I tried that but didn't like the slope! The hard shelf of cutting everything below 50hz works better I think. My two 10" cabinets sounded huge!

[dave_bass5]

27 minutes ago, acidbass said:

I tried that but didn't like the slope! The hard shelf of cutting everything below 50hz works better I think. My two 10" cabinets sounded huge!

Are you talking about the HPF in the Global EQ or the man part of the EQ?

[acidbass]

19 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Are you talking about the HPF in the Global EQ or the man part of the EQ?

I use the High/Low Cut EQ block which is a hard curve below/above the points you set.

[dave_bass5]

1 minute ago, acidbass said:

I use the High/Low Cut EQ block which is a hard curve below/above the points you set.

Sorry, I meant was it the Global HPF that you didn’t like, or the Global EQ?

[acidbass]

4 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Sorry, I meant was it the Global HPF that you didn’t like, or the Global EQ?

Yeah the Global EQ - is there a Global HPF? I used the Global EQ to cut the lows but the slope was too gradual for me. Cutting everything below 50hz sharply sounds amazing particularly for smaller speakers.

[dave_bass5]

8 hours ago, acidbass said:

Yeah the Global EQ - is there a Global HPF? I used the Global EQ to cut the lows but the slope was too gradual for me. Cutting everything below 50hz sharply sounds amazing particularly for smaller speakers.

Yes, there is a Global HPF and LPF. These are situated at either end of the Global EQ. 

[Al Krow]

9 hours ago, acidbass said:

Cutting everything below 50hz sharply sounds amazing particularly for smaller speakers.

Out of interest I'm guessing you're a 4 string player? Low B fundamental at 31Hz would be lost if you're a 5 player and why the Thumpinator kicks in at around 28Hz to deliver its steep cut.

Having said that the low E is at 40Hz and many folk do like to start cutting at 80Hz i.e. at the first fundamental of the low E.

Must admit I always found a steep cut below 50Hz seems to leave my tone a little "bereft" of that low end. But your set up and what you hearing are the true guide so if that's working for you with smaller speakers (are you using a PJB?), then that has to be the "right" answer for you!

[acidbass]

6 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Out of interest I'm guessing you're a 4 string player? Low B fundamental at 31Hz would be lost if you're a 5 player and why the Thumpinator kicks in at around 28Hz to deliver its steep cut.

Having said that the low E is at 40Hz and many folk do like to start cutting at 80Hz i.e. at the first fundamental of the low E.

Must admit I always found a steep cut below 50Hz seems to leave my tone a little "bereft" of that low end. But your set up and what you hearing are the true guide so if that's working for you with smaller speakers (are you using a PJB?), then that has to be the "right" answer for you!

Yeah I'm a 4 string player! Even without the lowest fundamental, your ears have a way of filling out the missing frequencies by utilising the other harmonics of that note (80hz) etc. I'm using a Class D head and two 10" cabs which beforehand I could never get enough headroom out of. Now I have it in spades!

[akabane]

This is a very interesting discussion to me, as I pretty much never low cut my bass signal! (surely why I sound like crap! Or is it because I need to change the strings? Or was it a cold wrist? Can never remember! )

I start cutting around 30 if my B is booming in the specific acoustic setting, but that's all - I only use it for modeling the sound to work well in the current ambient I'm playing in, if needed.

Only time I'm cutting <80hz is when I'm trying to simulate heavy distorted guitars (as it's the 'accepted' "will work within the mix" cut phase along with cutting high around >120khz) - and can feel the difference if I cut <50hz.

Very interesting how you are using your low/hi cuts - what's the type of sounds you're using that require those cuts? Clean bass/compressed/driven/distorted/synthy? If on clean bass, do you use those cuts to 'tighten' up the sound?

[Al Krow]

2 hours ago, akabane said:

Very interesting how you are using your low/hi cuts - what's the type of sounds you're using that require those cuts? Clean bass/compressed/driven/distorted/synthy? If on clean bass, do you use those cuts to 'tighten' up the sound?

My take on HPF is that it serves two main purposes:

1) get rid of low end subsonic crud, which you can't hear but takes up a lot of energy and leaves less headroom for the audible frequencies. This is classic sub 30Hz Thumpinator cut territory, with a preference from the manufacturer to use it at the start of your pedal board signal chain, rather than at the end (but it will serve a purpose all along the watchtower). Which makes good sense - as it means that the rest of your pedals are not needing to waste effort on low end frequencies that are going to be cut anyway.

This application, for me, is a general one and would be relevant to clean bass/compressed/driven/distorted/synthy (but probably not for sub-synth / dub-bass set ups!)

2) for more general tone shaping and tightening - here a variable HPF is often used. If you have -12dB / octave cut and set at 80Hz then you there will be little impact at 80Hz but by the time you reach 40Hz you will be cutting by 12dB. A shelf EQ, on the other hand, has a steep cut for everything below the shelf frequency.

I personally wouldn't use (2) with drive pedals as a lot of drive pedals have significant compression and in the case of ProCo RAT noticeable low end loss, so if anything I would want to be boosting lows and / or blending with clean to preserve low end. YMMV etc!

Edited July 30, 2020 by Al Krow

[dave_bass5]

Good post above. 

I use, or used to use, HPF to clean the signal up so other pedals along the chain work better, or at least , to my ears. When i had my micro Thumpinator at the start of my pedal board, I definitely noticed my drive and phaser pedals were more responsive and less muddy. Less inaudible energy that  could effect how other pedals behave. Well worth using. 

Ive never played loud enough that my speaker cones are dancing around, so the ‘speaker protection’ feature was never one i would benefit from. I dont slap and pop and my Comp is evening things out anyway. 

Going back to the Stomp, even though it does have global HPF, like the global EQ, its last in the signal chain, so maybe not as much use as using a HPF (or Parametic) block at the start of the chain. 

Edited July 30, 2020 by dave_bass5

[acidbass]

Yeah I use it to clean up my tone, my speakers don't need to work as hard and having it at the start of my signal chain really tightens up overdrive and octave down effects

[Al Krow]

Heard another tale of Stomp build quality issues recently with a report of one dying mid live set. Previous mentions of over heating and in my case a flaky USB connection. Just doesn't seem to have the gig-build that something like the HFX has, with its more tank like housing which seems capable of handling our size 12s.

Helix SL rather than Stomp perhaps a better name for this product?

Edited September 28, 2020 by Al Krow
*Stomp Lightly!

[dave_bass5]

3 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Heard another tale of Stomp build quality issues recently with a report of one dying mid live set. Previous mentions of over heating and in my case a flaky USB connection. Just doesn't seem to have the gig-build that something like the HFX has, with its more tank like housing which seems capable of handling our size 12s.

Helix SL rather than Stomp perhaps a better name for this product?

Get the kettle on 😏

[krispn]

@AlphaK had a whole thread/poll on who was using what HX model but there wasn't much chat about death on a gig or reliability as opposed to folk just gravitating to a particular layout or need for more fx blocks. I know the units can get hot with prolonged use. Any HX variant users (including the newer Pod Go and the new Helix LT) noticed heat build to the point of failure or ongoing QC issues? I wonder if the issues had been mainly on early units/teething issues or continue to be a persistent issue?

It might be useful to cross post to that other topic too?

Edited September 28, 2020 by krispn

[Woodinblack]

I have had a couple of times when I have turned my HXFX on and it has said 'firmware failure', so I turned it off and back on and it was fine. But it has never failed when running.

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

Get the kettle on 😏

What you have heard for yourself, now, is just how bloody amazing the speed, accuracy and glitch-less depth of tracking on the Boss SY-1 octave down is! Goes lower than my Fearless F112 cab could comfortable handle, and that's saying something! We could hear the speaker 'flapping' as it tried to cope with notes an octave below E and lower! Oh and thanks for the personal delivery of the Ashdown headphones - they're ridiculously cool in their own way! 

[krispn]

3 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I have had a couple of times when I have turned my HXFX on and it has said 'firmware failure', so I turned it off and back on and it was fine. But it has never failed when running.

That wouldn't be ideal at a gig!