# Helix LT



## Eric

Loving the Helix LT, there's a huge learning curve here but once you get the basics it's a pretty powerful tool. I basically look at it like a pedal board going into an amp+cabinet with a pre-amp and in some cases both distortion and OD.


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## Chew Toy McCoy

Another product I frequently research but then determine I don't have a need to justify the expense.  It's a lot easier to impulse buy with software only options because it's safely hiding on your hard drive, not collecting dust in a corner making you feel guilty.      Plus software doesn't usually have the added and justified cost of manufacturing hardware.  

Having said that, is this something you could use for your go-to for everything?  If not, what else could you not live without?


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## Eric

My goal is both to record and be gig-ready, as I typically am with all of my gear. I don't have a lot of guilt when it comes to that because I play almost daily and it's rare that I ever break for long. To me, putting the guitar down is when it's time to feel guilty.

Unlike a modeling amp this thing is a fantastic and powerful piece of hardware, a lot of pros use it on stage with various configurations. I pretty much have it ready to go so if/when I'm ready to play with others again I can just grab it and an amp and go.

I also keep my real pedals close by and will use the loop fx if I need to add any in, I like mixing things up to get the sound I want.


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## CanyonCarver

I still run the Pod XT, ah ah! Can't afford the Helix, but I attended a Line6 open house a couple of years ago. I was impressed by what this tool can do . Good luck with it!


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## Eric

CanyonCarver said:


> I still run the Pod XT, ah ah! Can't afford the Helix, but I attended a Line6 open house a couple of years ago. I was impressed by what this tool can do . Good luck with it!



Hey, I've been chasing some of the same tones I used to get on the Pod so it's not so easily written off. The biggest benefit to the Helix is the ease of use but many of the tones are pretty much the same.


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## podgod

Absolutely love my Helix LT. I've had it for 4 years now and feel I still haven't even scratched the surface of what it can do. I gotta have it on the floor though. I use pedal edit mode for editing and use the xt as a midi controller for the LT to fine fune settings


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## Eric

podgod said:


> Absolutely love my Helix LT. I've had it for 4 years now and feel I still haven't even scratched the surface of what it can do. I gotta have it on the floor though. I use pedal edit mode for editing and use the xt as a midi controller for the LT to fine fune settingsView attachment 17441



How are you liking the Headrush frfr? I love the price point but the reviews are mixed, sounds like you would really have to dial it in. For now I'm mostly using headphones but I have a somewhat reasonable tone out of my Spider V amp using the "no amp" setting while off the floor on a stand.


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## podgod

They were too boomy for me on the floor. I bought the stands and that helped a lot. Still,  I wish I had spent a little more and went for something better honestly. They are hard to dial in for sure. The global eq in the helix helps


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## KCAR

podgod said:


> Absolutely love my Helix LT. I've had it for 4 years now and feel I still haven't even scratched the surface of what it can do. I gotta have it on the floor though. I use pedal edit mode for editing and use the xt as a midi controller for the LT to fine fune settingsView attachment 17441



I see that you still have an old POD unit on the left over there. Which is good, else you might face pressure to change your moniker to HelixGod. Though, who could blame you? Times, they are a changing!


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## Goport

Hello G101-ers and GB refugees  I downsized my backline and bought a Helix LT in october 2017.  It was quite a learning curve and I even bought some professional patches by Glenn Dulane which was worth it so I could see what was different from mine, ie too much gain!!  Jason sadites also made life a lot clearer with his excellent youtube channel. 

Once I went fully in ear monitoring it made a massive difference, especially turning up to a gig with a gig bag and a rucksack,  not a car full of amps and backline. And the sound was amazing. 
Sadly I haven't used the hardware since december 2019 for various reasons and now I just use the Helix Native VST plugin, which is pretty much identical in sound anyway.

Its an amazing unit and well worth a try out.


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## Eric

Goport said:


> Hello G101-ers and GB refugees  I downsized my backline and bought a Helix LT in october 2017.  It was quite a learning curve and I even bought some professional patches by Glenn Dulane which was worth it so I could see what was different from mine, ie too much gain!!  Jason sadites also made life a lot clearer with his excellent youtube channel.
> 
> Once I went fully in ear monitoring it made a massive difference, especially turning up to a gig with a gig bag and a rucksack,  not a car full of amps and backline. And the sound was amazing.
> Sadly I haven't used the hardware since december 2019 for various reasons and now I just use the Helix Native VST plugin, which is pretty much identical in sound anyway.
> 
> Its an amazing unit and well worth a try out.



Welcome, Goport, glad you joined us!

Agreed, it's quite powerful and one of the determining factors for me was how much online info and YT videos there are around it, some of them walk you step by step through getting really amazing sounds. This is not something one takes home and starts rocking out with out of the box, it takes a little time and TLC but you'll get exactly what you're after as a result.


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## WIGROCKS

I moved recently and still haven't been able to find guys to play with, so I couldn't justify the Helix just yet.  In trying to be "fiscally sensible", I went down this rabbit hole that led me to a Guitar Center looking at a used Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. While I was waiting to get some help, I'm listening to this guy play stunning tones from behind me... from clean to dirty, just lush and gorgeous sounds.  I decided to go over and see what he was playing out of and almost fell over when I saw it was a Boss Katana.  I had heard them before and they were good, but not like this... turns out it was the Artist model with the Waza speakers  I don't know if that was such a difference maker compared to others I had heard or not, or the settings, or what... but it was cheaper than the used Fender and it sounded amazing.  I was planning to run a L6 Pod Go into the Fender.  I run the POD for effects in front, and through the FX loop w/ 4 cable method on the Katana.  I've never been happier with a rig to date.  The only catch is that processing power.  I give up slots depending on which effects are in use and how much horsepower they need.  And the ones that use more are really some of the best IMO.  So, I would love to upgrade to the Helix and solve that now, before it bothers me and gets "stuck in my head".  If you haven't tried the Retro Reel effect yet on Helix... highly recommend it for a Vintage-y saturation/texture.


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## Eric

I'm really struggling to get my Boss looper to work right with this. I have tried three different ways and there's an issue with each one, the goal is so make it so I can hear it both on headphones and the amp.

1) The most logical way seems to be to put it after the Helix, so guitar in to Helix and out to the looper, then out to the amp which works as you would expect. However, this only works with the amp and you cannot hear it through the headphones (which makes sense). So I tried going out into a mixer instead but I can only hear one side on whatever channel I plug into. I've also tried both outputs into two channels on the mixer but still only get one side.

2) I tried putting the looper before the Helix but the result is it will only play back whatever patch you are currently on, so if you loop (record) one patch, then switch to another, what is playing back changes to the current patch. This also makes sense logically but I was hopeful lol.

3) The effects loop, this does work but requires that you put in the FX loop block in the chain exactly after the amp to run properly so every patch I have downloaded would have to be modified and many of the DSPs are already full.

Any ideas here would be great, number 1 seems like the best solution if I can figure out how to hear both sides with my mixer.


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## podgod

Make sure the output block is in stereo. If you can, post the hlx file and I'll take a look.

You know, that's one of the things that bothers me about the helix. The effects Loop should be a global parameter. You have to add the effects loop for every preset that you make otherwise it won't appear when you change presets. I have a DigiTech Trio that I use in the effects loop and have the exact same problem.


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## Eric

podgod said:


> Make sure the output block is in stereo. If you can, post the hlx file and I'll take a look.
> 
> You know, that's one of the things that bothers me about the helix. The effects Loop should be a global parameter. You have to add the effects loop for every preset that you make otherwise it won't appear when you change presets. I have a DigiTech Trio that I use in the effects loop and have the exact same problem.



You mean the FX1 block in my chain? That works properly, I just don't want to add it to every preset because they're already taken up.


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## Eric

Got it (I think), I ended up using two XLR cables to both channels on mixer and can now hear both sides, I thine used the FX loop in the mixer for the looper and can it records what it hears without changing when I change patches. Man, this goddamned thing is a Rubik's cube of odd combos to get right, I mean look at this rats nest.


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## podgod

Glad you got it worked out. Yeah I'm always getting shit about my mess of cables on the floor


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## Goport

podgod said:


> Glad you got it worked out. Yeah I'm always getting shit about my mess of cables on the floor



Do you still use native or are you all outboard now?  I only ask because you gave me some great advice on the VST plugin setup back in the day, which would probably be useful to some "try before buy" takers here.
I love Native and its my go to now I am no longer gigging. Sadly I only get the LT out to update it these days.


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## podgod

Goport said:


> Do you still use native or are you all outboard now? I only ask because you gave me some great advice on the VST plugin setup back in the day, which would probably be useful to some "try before buy" takers here.
> I love Native and its my go to now I am no longer gigging. Sadly I only get the LT out to update it these days.



What I'm doing now actually borders on insanity I run native in the effects loop(USB) of my LT lol. Unlimited options this way, plus I can run other VSTs as well

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk


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## Goport

podgod said:


> I run native in the effects loop(USB) of my LT



I think something broke in my little brain trying to understand that


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## Eric

I did end up purchasing this pack, it has been beneficial in that I can see how they're all constructed and the best use of paths in the chain. Plus he has some really kick ass Pink Floyd and Dream Theater patches that I tweaked to make my own.





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					fremenpresets.com


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## Bluesplayer59

The Helix sure looks very colurful and cool but id worry it lying in the floor . The venues here are sometimes shoebox esque and many punters get shit faced and like to grab a mic and show us how good they can do Johnny cash. I have a GTpro and a Rocktron outa site ..the only piece exposed to atrack is the Fc200 ..thankfully its not been hit yet . My buddy uses the Helix without a backline..but I need to hear and feel live . your Helix sure does sound amazing though Eric  !


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## Eric

Goport said:


> Hello G101-ers and GB refugees  I downsized my backline and bought a Helix LT in october 2017.  It was quite a learning curve and I even bought some professional patches by Glenn Dulane which was worth it so I could see what was different from mine, ie too much gain!!  Jason sadites also made life a lot clearer with his excellent youtube channel.
> 
> Once I went fully in ear monitoring it made a massive difference, especially turning up to a gig with a gig bag and a rucksack,  not a car full of amps and backline. And the sound was amazing.
> Sadly I haven't used the hardware since december 2019 for various reasons and now I just use the Helix Native VST plugin, which is pretty much identical in sound anyway.
> 
> Its an amazing unit and well worth a try out.



So you had in ear monitoring and just ran your Helix through the PA for live gigs? That does seem to make sense, couldn't imagine showing up without an amp lol.


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## Goport

Eric said:


> So you had in ear monitoring and just ran your Helix through the PA for live gigs? That does seem to make sense, couldn't imagine showing up without an amp lol.



Its the Future!!  Fly date gigs became big business about 5 years ago with the Helix and similar form factor modeler FX units. Get on a plane with the few essentials in a backpack and a guitar that fits in the over head locker and you're golden. no long drives, overnight stays etc.   I was never at that level (but we did open the Isle of Wight Festival on the second stage 3 years running starting in 2012).

IEM solutions are great, provided you have sufficient AUX Busses on your Desk/PA (most digital mixers can do this). We had a Behringer X32 Producer desk and it worked out really well for our 9 piece band - each of us had our own personal monitor feeds.  

Although I originally didn't get on with the IEMs - I tried a wireless LD system, and a Shure wireless system both were noisy, compressed, flat sounding and dropped out from time to time. And tried a couple of wired solutions too which were chunky belt pack things with leads going everywhere  I settled on a mic stand mounted, P16-M wired, 16 channel personal mixer with a headphone out jack.  This was a game changer. Stereo sound, uncompressed and clear, real time adjustments and the ability to take the bloody keys and the horns out of my ears completely! And the noise cancelling buds meant it wasn't deafening. I even started singing and playing in key  

One thing to consider is you won't hear the audience unless you set up a mic for that purpose. So it can be a bit odd when you first try


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## Goport

Anyone done the V3.5 upgrade yet? and is it any good?


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## Eric

Goport said:


> Anyone done the V3.5 upgrade yet? and is it any good?



I did the update but haven't played with it outside of my normal presets which haven't seemed to change as of yet. I heard there are a lot of new features though so I'm looking forward to it.

Here's an observed list from a Reddit post:

New patch list from
      Line6Helix


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## podgod

The new update is great. The new cab engine really brings the cabs to life, I also like the dual IR blocks, much easier on dsp


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## podgod

Eric said:


> I did end up purchasing this pack, it has been beneficial in that I can see how they're all constructed and the best use of paths in the chain. Plus he has some really kick ass Pink Floyd and Dream Theater patches that I tweaked to make my own.
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> fremenpresets.com



Freeman makes great presets. I have this as well,


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