Which Helix?

[fretmeister]

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

With the Effects you can do all the adjustments with your feet whilst playing, which i really like.

I know that, but I have enough trouble staying on my feet as it is!  

 

 

[dave_bass5]

4 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

I know that, but I have enough trouble staying on my feet as it is!  

 

 

Same. I tend to get a bit of wobble when i raise a foot. 🙂

[dave_bass5]

15 minutes ago, AlphaK said:

So from a purely display perspective if I've got this right: the Floor has large plus scribble, LT large only, HX Effects scribble only and Stomp large only.

Yep, thats about it.

One thing i was happy about with the Stomp was i can use a small external foot switch to give me 5 on/off switches, which worked well except there is no indicator that the other two are on or off, other than if those blocks are lit on the screen. Its a very small screen and i found it hard to tell. This was the main reason i got Effects.

[Deedee]

I think I'll be going for the HX Effects. On a side note it appears that the Stomp prices are coming down with several places offering them at similar prices to the HX Effects now.

[jrixn1]

Saw this about Avril Lavigne's bassist's Helix touring setup.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/e82jo5/touring_with_avril_lavigne/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Line6Helix/comments/e7y7fb/helix_line_6_on_my_bass_rig_for_avril_lavignes/
 

[AlphaK]

18 current Helix owners out there so far voted (thank you). That's actually quite an impressive number -  this is clearly a very popular pedal group. I guess not surprisingly half of the ones owned are Stomps, given its relatively modest pricing and compact size and it seems to be the sensible place for a newbie to start there or with the HX Effects and maybe work up to one of the bigger units in due course. Must admit, although it's not going to be the least bit sensible, the Helix Floor does look awesome in what it can do and its super easy to see displays. The only one not floating my boat is the LT - I guess simply due to the lack of the scribble strips.

[dave_bass5]

7 minutes ago, AlphaK said:

18 current Helix owners out there so far voted (thank you). That's actually quite an impressive number -  this is clearly a very popular pedal group. I guess not surprisingly half of the ones owned are Stomps, given its relatively modest pricing and compact size and it seems to be the sensible place for a newbie to start there or with the HX Effects and maybe work up to one of the bigger units in due course. Must admit, although it's not going to be the least bit sensible, the Helix Floor does look awesome in what it can do and its super easy to see displays. The only one not floating my boat is the LT - I guess simply due to the lack of the scribble strips.

I own both a Stomp and a Effects, but chose to vote for the Effects as to me its the most suitable, and the one ill use all the time (at least for live and rehearsals). I did briefly look at the LT, but like you i found the lack of Scribble strips a bit of a negative, mainly as i was looking to get the Effects for these.

[BigRedX]

When I got my Helix Floor, the only other option was the newly released LT. I knew at the time that if I went for the lesser-spec'd option there would come a point  when I would regret it as I'd be missing a feature that was only available from the top of the range model. As it is the scribble strips have proved invaluable especially for  easily identifying snapshots, as have the multitude of additional inputs and outputs which allow me to set up my rig(s) with no compromises.

One feature I have found very useful, and which I don't know if it exists on the other Helix versions, is that the selected snapshot is memorised when you save. This allows me to always have the main sound for a song on snapshot 1, but if I use a different sound for the intro (saved onto one of the other snapshot positions) it will be selected automatically when I select the patch for the song. 

Edited December 10, 2019 by BigRedX

[burno70]

Is anyone gigging the Stomp without the Morningstar or other midi trigger device?

The reason I'm asking is that I'm looking to upgrade from the M series (owned multiples of all three of models over the years and love them), but am unsure whether to go for the HC effect or the Stomp. Size isn't an issue - I have an M15 on my board currently, but the band have  moved to IEM's recently so the amp sims on the Stomp could be handy although I'm highly skeptical of how usable this unit is in terms of general usage and making adjustments on the fly, given the small display and so few switches. The Effects however appeals to me much more in terms of lay out which looks highly accessible and much more like the M series which I'm used to. The amp sims aren't a deal breaker by the way - but would be nice.

Any thoughts? 

Edited December 10, 2019 by burno70

[Osiris]

42 minutes ago, burno70 said:

Is anyone gigging the Stomp without the Morningstar or other midi trigger device?

The reason I'm asking is that I'm looking to upgrade from the M series (owned multiples of all three of models over the years and love them), but am unsure whether to go for the HC effect or the Stomp. Size isn't an issue - I have an M15 on my board currently, but the band have  moved to IEM's recently so the amp sims on the Stomp could be handy although I'm highly skeptical of how usable this unit is in terms of general usage and making adjustments on the fly, given the small display and so few switches. The Effects however appeals to me much more in terms of lay out which looks highly accessible and much more like the M series which I'm used to. The amp sims aren't a deal breaker by the way - but would be nice.

Any thoughts? 

Like the original poster, that will come down to your personal needs. I use an external foot switch with my Stomp, just a regular latching type, but even that could be binned if necessary (see my previous post). I don't use midi or any other pedals in the external loop, and I don't need to make any adjustments on the fly other than maybe a slight tweak of the global EQ for the room, but even this is quick and easy to do. Not having midi is not an issue for me. I find the Stomp simple and intuitive to edit, it requires maybe 10 minutes or so to learn how to use it. My patches have been set up and fine tuned over time so I don't make any further changes to them now they're giving me what I want. The limited controls have been implemented in a simple and logical way that make adjustments a doddle, IMO. But if you're thinking about midi it suggests that you probably have a more complicated set up that me so you might want to consider the other models in the range over the Stomp. 

[Al Krow]

50 minutes ago, burno70 said:

The Effects however appeals to me much more in terms of lay out which looks highly accessible and much more like the M series which I'm used to. The amp sims aren't a deal breaker by the way - but would be nice.

The ease of access / layout of the HX Effects is exactly the reason I went Stomp --> HX Effects. A hark back to, but an improvement in almost every sense over, my Zoom B3N.

If you want / need amp & cab sims => Stomp

If 6 blocks is going to be limiting => HX Effects will be better

My sense is that there are plenty of Stomp users just using the Stomp by itself. Others are using a mini extension footswitch (non midi) which gives another 2 stomp footswitches and are inexpensive. And a number have gone full midi including the versatile, but £spendy, Morningstar route you mentioned.

[burno70]

Thanks both!

I think I'd be happy with either, and would be able to work with the stomp if I decided to go with that model. Just undecided at the minute and looking to be swayed either way.

Just being lazy - what's a block? I've read of these loads but I'm unsure what it means. Is it the same as a 'scene' from the M series? As in a pallet of chosen effects which you can select at once?

[dave_bass5]

20 minutes ago, burno70 said:

Just being lazy - what's a block? I've read of these loads but I'm unsure what it means. Is it the same as a 'scene' from the M series? As in a pallet of chosen effects which you can select at once?

A block is a slot in a patch. A patch in the Stomp can have 6 blocks, 9 in the Effects. The blocks are the components of the patch. Could be amp sim, single effect, mixer block, eq block etc.

[Deedee]

My HX Effects arrived yesterday and first impressions are very good. It seems to be well built and the basic features seem easy enough to use.

I was going to buy a 1-Spot CS6 power brick to use with it but thought I'd give my existing 1-Spot plug a try first (I'll only have the HX Effects and a G30 receiver on the board). So I bought the 1-Spot 'Line6 Converter' (CL6) and the 'Reverse Polarity Converter' (CYR) and it appears to work fine. Certainly none of the reported additional noise to my ears.

I'm pretty green when it comes to effects and the settings to get the best out of them so I'll be looking forward to see what patches and tips will be available to download on the other thread.

[Al Krow]

@Deedee - congrats.

Probably entirely Dave's fault, but the HX Effects does seem to be getting a bit of a second wind with BC'ers over the past couple of months. I guess the lack of faff of not having to connect up to an additional foot switch, midi or otherwise, and particularly the 6 scribble strip display & to a lesser extent the 3 additional blocks seem to more than offset the lack of amp & cab sims and DI out for the HX Effects fanboys.

[dave_bass5]

7 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

@Deedee - congrats.

Probably entirely Dave's fault, but the HX Effects does seem to be getting a bit of a second wind with BC'ers over the past couple of months.

Heads up, next year we are going full Helix floor. Just thought id warn you now 😁

 

EDIT: You as well Paul 😉

Edited December 11, 2019 by dave_bass5

[walshy]

Had the Stomp which was excellent ( had a great tone once id fettled it, amp sims are great) but changing over to valve head which I love the sound of so bought the FX which is excellent too. Will suit me next year live I reckon. 

[bassfan]

2 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Heads up, next year we are going full Helix floor. Just thought id warn you now 😁

 

EDIT: You as well Paul 😉

Nope. I’m not buying anything but essentials next year and certainly not listening to you or Mr Krow, costs me too much! 😂

[Al Krow]

29 minutes ago, walshy said:

Had the Stomp which was excellent ( had a great tone once id fettled it, amp sims are great) but changing over to valve head which I love the sound of so bought the FX which is excellent too. Will suit me next year live I reckon. 

How do you fettle a Stomp? 

Another scribbletard** I see. Join the club. 😁

27 minutes ago, bassfan said:

Nope. I’m not buying anything but essentials next year...

Me neither.

Obviously basses, amps, cabs and pedals are essentials.

Edited December 11, 2019 by Al Krow
**an individual who trades his Stomp in for the earlier HX Effects model because they consider it easier to gig with

[walshy]

1 minute ago, Al Krow said:

How do you fettle a Stomp? 😁

Me neither.

Obviously basses, amps, cabs and pedals are essentials.

I mainly used a hammer 😂

[burno70]

22 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

A block is a slot in a patch. A patch in the Stomp can have 6 blocks, 9 in the Effects. The blocks are the components of the patch. Could be amp sim, single effect, mixer block, eq block etc.

Cheers Dave - in that case, unless there's a limit on patches, the blocks won't be an issue. You can only run 4 effect at once on an M15 anyway so it's still an upgrade.

[dave_bass5]

14 minutes ago, burno70 said:

Cheers Dave - in that case, unless there's a limit on patches, the blocks won't be an issue. You can only run 4 effect at once on an M15 anyway so it's still an upgrade.

Its a nice upgrade. Also the Stomp has a few things built in to each patch that the Effects doesn't, inc noise gate, and also has a global EQ (inc HPF and LPF), so you can save a few blocks right there.

Edited December 12, 2019 by dave_bass5

[BigRedX]

One thing to consider is that if you need to switch seamlessly between sounds mid-song then you really need to use snapshots rather than patches. You can't add or delete and blocks in a snapshot, only turn them on and off, or change the parameters. Therefore you need to make sure that your chosen Helix supports enough blocks within a patch for all the sound variations you need in a single song.

Several of my patches use more than 9 blocks (the Helix Floor supports 2x16 Blocks) in order to get all the sound variations required in a single song - although these are on the songs where I play Bass VI and have variations on both the "bass" sounds and the "guitar" sounds.

My Helix is organised so that each song has its own patch and all the sound variations within each song are handled by snapshots. I have patches arranged across the top set of foot switches and snapshots across the bottom set (which are easier to reach mid-song) and the up/down switches set to step through the patches.

[Al Krow]

5 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

One thing to consider is that if you need to switch seamlessly between sounds mid-song then you really need to use snapshots rather than patches. You can't add or delete and blocks in a snapshot, only turn them on and off, or change the parameters. Therefore you need to make sure that your chosen Helix supports enough blocks within a patch for all the sound variations you need in a single song.

Several of my patches use more than 9 blocks (the Helix Floor supports 2x16 Blocks) in order to get all the sound variations required in a single song - although these are on the songs where I play Bass VI and have variations on both the "bass" sounds and the "guitar" sounds.

My Helix is organised so that each song has its own patch and all the sound variations within each song are handled by snapshots. I have patches arranged across the top set of foot switches and snapshots across the bottom set (which are easier to reach mid-song) and the up/down switches set to step through the patches.

Apologies for being lazy and not looking this up...but given that Dave has given us a heads up that we're under a three line whip to swap out our HX Effects for a Helix Floor (likely now in 2021, given the no new gear rule in 2020)how many additional patches do you get on the Floor over the 128 on the Effects (and I seem to recall a similar number on the Stomp?) 

[BigRedX]

19 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Apologies for being lazy and not looking this up...but given that Dave has given us a heads up that we're under a three line whip to swap out our HX Effects for a Helix Floor (likely now in 2021, given the no new gear rule in 2020)how many additional patches do you get on the Floor over the 128 on the Effects (and I seem to recall a similar number on the Stomp?) 

The Helix Floor manual is a bit coy on the subject but AFAICS there are 8 Setlists each containing 128 Patches. That's a total of 1024 Patches.