Line6 is unveiling "Helix"...

[sixeight]

Explains why online gear reviews for DSP Modelers are worthless without stating "what firmware revision" was used during the evaluation !

Yes. I have been following the development of the Helix for awhile. And only since the last couple of firmware upgrades it was getting in the ballpark for me. So I took the plunge.

Even when I had it, it took longer than I expected before I felt the unit was really delivering the right tones. If Line6 would put patches of Jason Sadites in the first ten slots of the factory presets, they would sell a lot more units.

Then again, also the VG-99 only started to deliver after 6 months or so. Maybe I am just a slow learner...

[vtgearhead]

Recent Helix convert here.  I made the mistake of purchasing an HD500 several years ago and was so burned by the experience that I swore I'd never waste a penny on any more Line 6 modelers.  But, last fall I had the opportunity to swap a Mesa 5:25 Express I wasn't using + a few hundred bucks for an almost new Helix.  Long story short:  I'm now using Helix with an Atomic CLR powered speaker as my main rig.  It can do just about anything I need.

I did finally discover a good use for the HD500!  It makes a perfect doorstop in my office.

[arkieboy]

My credit card spontaneously levitated out of my pocket while in PMT Oxford this afternoon and I'm now looking at my Helix LT on my 'studio' floor.


I'm impressed, even after playing with the native plugin for a while.  I'm not sure its ultimately any more 'musical' than my VG99 - from an audience perspective - although the models feel more detailed and there are more of them I feel I would use.  The touch response on some of the models is great. 


Having a completely clean routing slate was a bit daunting at first but I'm getting on top of it.  The computer editor is brilliant.


For my own project it will integrate with my VG99 nicely and I'll get the benefits of both.  For everything else, I think its going to be my goto - I'm looking forward to 4 cabling it into my JMP1/EL84-20/20.

[admin]

Im having a bit of a shootout

I still find Helix natively sounds constrained and a bit more brittle vs AXEFX II XL+
And Headrush is easiest to edit on they fly and sounds a bit smoother than Helix

With carefull programming each units sonic limitations can be overcome. But it takes more effort on the Helix

[admin]

Helix/HX Firmware 2.60 "The Spring Cleaning Update"

New Amp Models (2—Helix, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT only)
Cali Texas Ch1, based on* the clean channel of the MESA/Boogie® Lonestar
Placater Clean, based on* the clean channel of the Friedman BE-100

New Effects Models (4)
Distortion > Deranged Master (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster—WARNING! Like the real thing, this model can take your head off! Works best before a distorted amp
Distortion > Deez One Vintage (Mono, Stereo), based on* the BOSS© DS-1 distortion pedal (classic Made-in-Japan version)
Distortion > Deez One Mod (Mono, Stereo), based on* the BOSS© DS-1 distortion pedal (Keeley mod version)
Looper > 1 Switch Looper (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 original (doesn't leave Stomp mode)

* All product names are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with Line 6.

Using the 1 Switch Looper:
Add a Looper > 1 Switch Looper block to your preset and assign it to a stomp footswitch. (Adding a 1 Switch Looper to HX Effects from Stomp view automatically assigns it to the selected footswitch.)
Press the 1 Switch Looper switch. The LED lights red, indicating the loop is recording.
Press the 1 Switch Looper switch again. The LED lights green, indicating the loop is playing back.
Press the 1 Switch Looper switch again. The LED lights amber, indicating the loop is in overdub mode. Subsequent presses of the switch toggle between play and overdub mode.
While the 1 Switch Looper is in play or overdub mode, press and hold the switch for 1 second. The most recent recording is undone. Holding the switch again will redo the recording. On Helix, Helix Rack/Control, and HX Effects, "UNDO" or "REDO" briefly appears on the scribble strip. On Helix LT, "UNDO" or "REDO" briefly appears in Performance view.
Quickly double-press the 1 Switch Looper switch. Playback/recording stops and the LED lights white, indicating a loop is in memory.
While Looper playback/recording is stopped, press and hold the switch. The recording is deleted and the LED lights dim white.

Improvements/Changes
The most recent new HX Reverb models have been tweaked to sound notably wetter (see Known Issues below)
When changing the Time parameter, Legacy delay models now exhibit a more organic behavior (more like DL4 and Echo Pro)
The Looper block is now called "6 Switch Looper" (see Known Issues below)
Synchronizing to incoming MIDI clock has been improved
The Mix parameter defaults of both mono and stereo HX Reverbs are now consistent
When loading a preset, its default MIDI program change message would be transmitted after the preset is loaded and any Instant commands were sent. This PC message is now sent immediately when the preset is selected
Helix, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT only: Shuriken Variax bank names now appear in the Input > Multi and Input > Variax block without requiring connection to Variax Workbench
HX Effects only: On the Signal Flow page, if the Split block is selected and bypassed, it now appears with a different icon than when it's enabled
Many under-the-hood improvements

Bug Fixes
The Filter > Legacy > Obi Wah model is mono (should be stereo) — FIXED
Modulation > Legacy > Analog Chorus > Mode parameter was mislabeled "CH Vib" — FIXED
Pitch/Synth > Legacy > Smart Harmony > Key parameter was mislabeled "V1 Key" — FIXED
Helix, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT only: After selecting a different preset, the Tempo > Preset BPM value display would not be updated — FIXED
Helix, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT only: While the Looper (now 6 Switch Looper) is in playback mode, the LED on FS9 (Play/Stop) will go dim when exiting and then returning to Looper view — FIXED
Helix, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT only: When the Tuner > Output routing is set to USB 5/6, the audio can instead be routed to USB 3/4 — FIXED
Helix, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT only: If an Input block on Path 2A or 2B is set to "None," its Input gate remains active if previously engaged — FIXED
Helix, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT only: If Global Settings > EXP Pedals > EXP 1 Polarity is set to "Inverted," EXP 2 Polarity could be affected — FIXED
Helix, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT only: If a single Stomp mode footswitch is assigned to a block bypass and more than one parameter assignment, repeatedly touching the switch may not cycle through all assignments — FIXED
Helix, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT only: Saving a preset with a Command Center Note On command can reset the note value to C-1 when quickly changing snapshots — FIXED
Helix, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT only: In some cases, Command Center CC Toggle messages are not sent when selecting snapshots — FIXED
Helix Rack/Control only: In rare cases, if the current preset in Helix Rack is particularly DSP-intensive and an expression pedal is connected to Helix Control, recalling a different preset or snapshot can cause Helix Control to freeze — FIXED
Helix Rack/Control only: In rare cases, while quickly navigating presets, the preset name displayed on Helix Rack can sometimes not match that on Helix Control — FIXED
HX Effects only: The Delay > Stereo > Multi Pass block in some factory presets appeared only with the left channel active — FIXED
HX Effects only: Looper (now 6 Switch Looper) playback/recording can sometimes stop when changing presets, even if the target preset has the same type of looper (mono or stereo) — FIXED
HX Effects only: In some cases, the Looper (now 6 Switch Looper) can continue to play when selecting an empty preset with no Looper block — FIXED
HX Effects only: Selecting the Distortion > Thrifter Fuzz model can result in a brief thump accompanied by a high whine — FIXED
HX Effects only: If a controller is assigned to a Modulation > Pattern Trem block parameter and the min value is greater than the max value, moving the controller can cause HX Effects to freeze — FIXED
HX Effects only: Under rare, specific circumstances, parameters assigned to Note values could sometimes reset when recalling snapshots — FIXED
HX Effects only: Loading certain presets can cause some model blocks to appear as None blocks — FIXED
HX Effects only: Copying and pasting a block with many controller assignments can delete all controller assignments (and cause subsequent errors) after saving and then recalling the preset — FIXED
HX Effects only: When Global Settings > Switches >  Stomp mode is set to "4 Switches," the Looper (now 6 Switch Looper) could sometimes fail to display Record and Undo switches — FIXED
HX Effects only: After a factory reset, recording a loop and then saving the preset could result in the loop being cleared — FIXED
HX Effects only: The Split block's bypass state could sometimes not be recalled via snapshots — FIXED
HX Effects only: Receiving MIDI CC69 messages to recall snapshots can sometimes result in unpredictable block bypass states — FIXED
HX Effects only: Attempting to assign a block to a footswitch that already has eight assignments can result in clearing one or more original assignments — FIXED
HX Effects only: In rare cases, assigning the same EXP pedal to the same parameter twice in a row via Learn Controller can cause a scribble strip's contents to disappear — FIXED
HX Effects only: Adjusting a parameter with an expression pedal while holding TAP/TUNER can result in the block's parameters appearing in Tuner view — FIXED
HX Effects only: When receiving an MIDI CC52, CC53, or CC54 message, HX Effects does not respond as expected — FIXED
HX Effects only: When a Send 1/2 Output block is selected, parameters in the Controller Assign are incorrect — FIXED
HX Effects only: After assigning a controller to the Pitch/Synth > Simple Pitch > Interval parameter, it appears as "-2147483" in parameter spill view — FIXED
HX Effects only: Certain parameters with both positive and negative values can sometimes cause the Controller Assign menu's Min Value and Max Value parameter sliders to not reflect the correct value — FIXED
HX Effects only: After assigning a footswitch to parameter control via Controller Assign's FS3 (Learn), relearning a MIDI CC message results in HX Effects automatically applying CC4, regardless of the CC# received — FIXED
HX Effects only: Looper (now 6 Switch Looper) Undo function would not undo the most recent overdub — FIXED
HX Effects only: While performing a Factory Reset, turning knobs 1-3 could cause Global Settings to appear above Footswitch 2 — FIXED
HX Effects only: If a Wah block is changed to a Looper block, the Looper's Playback parameter is automatically assigned to EXP 2 — FIXED
HX Effects only: After clearing three or more Command Center assignments, all saved Command Center snapshot data can be inadvertently cleared — FIXED
HX Effects only: In rare cases, duplicate Command Center Instant commands can be transmitted when selecting snapshots — FIXED
HX Effects only: When Global Settings > Pedals > EXP 1 Position or EXP 2 Position is set to "Global", expression position may not always affect parameters globally — FIXED
HX Effects only: After saving a preset, HX Effects would sometimes not display the most recently accessed block on a footswitch assigned to multiple blocks — FIXED
HX Effects only: When the Tuner output is set to Send 1/2, signal flow audio sent to Send 1/2 can be muted — FIXED
HX Effects only: In rare, specific circumstances, Command Center MIDI Bank/Prog and CC values can be inadvertently altered when changing snapshots — FIXED
HX Effects only: Assigning 11 (!) parameters to a single controller, copying/pasting the block, and then moving the controller can cause HX Effects to freeze — FIXED
HX Effects only: If the Mixer block is moved to Path B, moving the block would cause its parameters above Footswitch 3 to disappear — FIXED
HX Effects only: While in the Save Preset menu, touching the TAP/TUNER switch to open the Tempo Panel will reset any recent custom name or save destination — FIXED
HX Effects only: In some cases, manually setting a Wah, Volume, or Pitch Wham's switch assignment can result in odd parameter slider behavior — FIXED
HX Effects only: In the Command Center, any Bank/Prog message's CC00, CC32, and Prog parameters could not contain have a value of 0 — FIXED
HX Effects only: If a block has a dual-state parameter assigned to a different footswitch, copying and pasting the block to another switch can fail to display white controller nodes and sometimes may freeze the UI — FIXED
HX Effects only: Receiving a MIDI CC68 message does not open and close the Tuner view — FIXED
HX Effects only: In some cases, Send 1/2 & Main L/R Pan and Level parameter settings are reflected across preset changes — FIXED
HX Effects only: Snapshot names can sometimes fail to appear on the scribble strips — FIXED
HX Effects only: EXP 1 and 2 would behave as if it was set to "Per Preset", even when set to "Global" — FIXED
Many other minor bug fixes and optimizations

Known Issues
As the new HX Reverb models have been tweaked to sound notably "wetter", any existing user presets that use these models will sound different. Although Helix and HX hardware has the ability to compensate for changes made to models when rebuilding presets (and one of our goals is to rarely if ever cause audible changes to existing user presets), the improvements made to the reverb blocks unfortunately cannot be compensated for
Existing user presets containing Helix's classic Looper block will continue to read "Looper" instead of "6 Switch-Looper" until the model is changed and the preset is re-saved. This is normal and does not affect operation
In rare cases, pitch artifacts may be heard on selected delay blocks when the Time parameter is set to Note Sync values higher than 1/2 Triplet

[admin]

If anyone says to you that Line 6 hasn't done enough updating of the Helix Family Products show them this!

Helix first shipped in October or 2015. Since that time Line 6 has added to the Helix HX Family.

New Amps
* Cali IV Rhythm 1, based on* the Rhythm I channel of the MESA/Boogie® Mk IV
* Cali IV Rhythm 2, based on* the Rhythm II channel of the MESA/Boogie® Mk IV
* Cali IV Lead, based on* the Lead channel of the MESA/Boogie® Mk IV...
* Line 6 2204 Mod, Line 6 Original based on* a hot-rodded Marshall® JCM® 800
* Line 6 Fatality, Line 6 Original based on THAL
* Matchstick Ch1, based on* Channel 1 of the MatchlessTM DC30
* Matchstick Ch2, based on* Channel 2 of the MatchlessTM DC30
* Matchstick Jump, based on* jumping Channels 1 and 2 of the MatchlessTM DC30
* Archetype Clean, based on* the clean channel of the Paul Reed Smith® Archon
* Archetype Lead, based on* the lead channel of the Paul Reed Smith® Archon®
* Line 6 Litigator, new Line 6 Original inspired by boutique mid-gain amps-
* Line 6 Badonk, all new Line 6 original inspired by the original high gain Big Bottom model
* Woody Blue, based on* the Acoustic® 360 bass amp
* Del Sol 300, based on* the Sunn® Coliseum 300 bass amp
* Busy One Ch1, based on* channel 1 of the Pearce BC-1 bass preamp
* Busy One Ch2, based on* channel 2 of the Pearce BC-1 bass preamp
* Busy One Jump, based on* channel 1 and 2 (jumped) of the Pearce BC-1 bass preamp
* Voltage Queen, based on* the Victoria® Electro King
* Derailed Ingrid, based on* the Trainwreck Circuits® Express
* Brit Trem Nrm, based on* the normal channel of the Marshall® Plexi Tremolo 50
* Brit Trem Brt, based on* the bright channel of the Marshall® Plexi Tremolo 50
* Brit Trem Jump, based on* the normal and bright channel (jumped) of the Marshall® Plexi Tremolo 50
* Cartographer, based on* the Ben Adrian Cartographer
* Agua 51, based on* the Aguilar® DB751 bass amp
* Cali Texas Ch2, based on* the drive channel of the MESA/Boogie® Lonestar
* Placater Dirty, based on* the BE/HBE channel of the Friedman BE-100
* Cali Texas Ch1, based on* the clean channel of the MESA/Boogie® Lonestar
* Placater Clean, based on* the clean channel of the Friedman BE-100

New Hybrid Cabs
* 1x12 Cali IV, based on* the MESA/Boogie® Mk IV 12" cab
* 1x12 Cali EXT, based on* the MESA/Boogie® 12" extension cab (EVM12L speaker)
* 2x12 Match H30, based on* the Matchless® DC-30 cab (12" G12H30 speaker)
* 2x12 Match G25, based on* the Matchless® DC-30 cab (12" Greenback 25 speaker)
* 2x12 Del Sol, based on* the Sunn® Coliseum 300 bass cab (12" speaker)
* 1x18 Del Sol, based on* the Sunn® Coliseum 300 bass cab (18" speaker)
* 1x18 Woody Blue, based on* the Acoustic® 360 18" bass cab

New Effects
* Distortion > Wringer Fuzz (Mono, Stereo), based on* Garbage's special BOSS® FZ-2
* EQ > Cali Q Graphic (Mono, Stereo), based on* the MESA/Boogie® Mk IV's 5-band EQ
* Modulation > Harmonic Tremolo (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Delay > Vintage Digital (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Distortion > Teemah! (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Paul Cochrane Timmy® Overdrive
* Distortion > KWB (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Benadrian Kowloon Walled Bunny Distortio
* Distortion > Bitcrusher (Mono, Stereo
* Modulation > Dynamix Flanger (Mono, Stereo
* Modulation > Deluxe Phaser (Mono, Stereo)
* Modulation > Tremolo (Mono) and Tremolo/Autopan (Stereo), based on* the BOSS® PN-2
* Pitch/Synth > Simple Pitch (Mono, Stereo
* Pitch/Synth > Dual Pitch (Mono, Stereo
* Filter > Autofilter (Mono, Stereo
* Delay > Dual Delay (Stereo): New Line 6 Original stereo delay with separate time, feedback, and mix per channel. Includes high and low cut filters and Chorus or Vibrato modulation
* Delay > Reverse Delay (Mono, Stereo): New Line 6 Original; whatever you play in comes back at you backwards (up to four seconds mono, two seconds stereo)
* Distortion > Stupor OD (Mono, Stereo), based on* the BOSS® SD-1 Overdrive
* Delay > Pitch Echo (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Distortion > Obsidian 7000 (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Darkglass Electronics® Microtubes B7K Ultra bass preamp/overdrive/EQ
* Distortion > Clawthorn Drive (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Wounded Paw Battering Ram bass overdrive
* Dynamics > 3-Band Comp (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original multiband compressor
* Dynamics > Autoswell (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Modulation > PlastiChorus (Mono, Stereo), based on* the modded Arion SCH-Z chorus
* Delay > Vintage Swell (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Delay > Adriatic Swell (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Pitch/Synth > 3 Note Generator (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Pitch/Synth > 4 OSC Generator (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Distortion > Kinky Boost (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Xotic® EP Booster
* Distortion > Thrifter Fuzz (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Dynamics > Kinky Comp (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Xotic® SP Compressor
* Modulation > Bleat Chop Trem (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Lightfoot Labs© Goatkeeper
* Modulation > Double Take (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original doubler
* Delay > Cosmos Echo (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Roland® RE-201 Space Echo
* Volume/Pan > Stereo Width (Stereo), Line 6 Original utility to collapse stereo paths
* Delay > Multi Pass (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original bandpass-filtered multitap delay
* Reverb > Glitz (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Reverb > Ganymede (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Reverb > Searchlights (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Reverb > Plateaux (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Reverb > Double Tank (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original
* Legacy Effects

* Distortion > Tube Drive (Mono)
* Distortion > Screamer (Mono)
* Distortion > Overdrive (Mono)
* Distortion > Classic Dist (Mono)
* Distortion > Heavy Dist (Mono)
* Distortion > Colordrive (Mono)
* Distortion > Buzz Saw (Mono)
* Distortion > Facial Fuzz (Mono)
* Distortion > Jumbo Fuzz (Mono)
* Distortion > Fuzz Pi (Mono)
* Distortion > Jet Fuzz (Mono)
* Distortion > Line 6 Drive (Mono)
* Distortion > Line 6 Distortion (Mono)
* Distortion > Sub Oct Fuzz (Mono)
* Distortion > Octave Fuzz (Mono)
* Dynamics > Tube Comp (Mono)
* Dynamics > Red Comp (Mono)
* Dynamics > Blue Comp (Stereo)
* Dynamics > Blue Comp Treb (Mono)
* Dynamics > Vetta Comp (Mono)
* Dynamics > Vetta Juice (Mono)
* Dynamics > Boost Comp (Mono)
* Modulation > Pattern Tremolo (Stereo)
* Modulation > Panner (Stereo)
* Modulation > Bias Tremolo (Stereo)
* Modulation > Opto Tremolo (Stereo)
* Modulation > Script Phase (Stereo)
* Modulation > Panned Phaser (Stereo)
* Modulation > Barberpole (Stereo)
* Modulation > Dual Phaser (Stereo)
* Modulation > U-Vibe (Mono)
* Modulation > Phaser (Stereo)
* Modulation > Pitch Vibrato (Mono)
* Modulation > Dimension (Stereo)
* Modulation > Analog Chorus (Stereo)
* Modulation > Tri Chorus (Stereo)
* Modulation > Analog Flanger (Stereo)
* Modulation > Jet Flanger (Stereo)
* Modulation > AC Flanger (Stereo)
* Modulation > 80A Flanger (Stereo)
* Modulation > Frequency Shift (Stereo)
* Modulation > Ring Modulator (Stereo)
* Modulation > Rotary Drum (Stereo)
* Modulation > Rotary Drm/Horn (Stereo)
* Delay > Ping Pong (Stereo)
* Delay > Dynamic (Stereo)
* Delay > Stereo (Stereo)
* Delay > Digital (Stereo)
* Delay > Dig w/ Mod (Stereo)
* Delay > Reverse (Mono)
* Delay > Lo Res (Stereo)
* Delay > Tube Echo (Stereo)
* Delay > Tape Echo (Stereo)
* Delay > Sweep Echo (Stereo)
* Delay > Echo Platter (Stereo)
* Delay > Analog Echo (Stereo)
* Delay > Analog w/ Mod (Stereo)
* Delay > Auto-Volume Echo (Stereo)
* Delay > Multi-Head (Stereo)
* Pitch/Synth > Bass Octaver (Mono)
* Pitch/Synth > Smart Harmony (Mono)
* Pitch/Synth > Octi Synth (Mono)
* Pitch/Synth > Synth O Matic (Mono)
* Pitch/Synth > Attack Synth (Mono)
* Pitch/Synth > Synth String (Mono)
* Pitch/Synth > Growler (Mono)
* Filter > Voice Box (Mono)
* Filter > V Tron (Mono)
* Filter > Q Filter (Stereo)
* Filter > Seeker (Stereo)
* Filter > Obi Wah (Stereo)
* Filter > Tron Up (Stereo)
* Filter > Tron Down (Stereo)
* Filter > Throbber (Stereo)
* Filter > Slow Filter (Stereo)
* Filter > Spin Cycle (Stereo)
* Filter > Comet Trails (Stereo)
* Distortion > Deranged Master (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster
* Distortion > Deez One Vintage (Mono, Stereo), based on* the BOSS© DS-1 distortion pedal (classic Made-in-Japan version)
* Distortion > Deez One Mod (Mono, Stereo), based on* the BOSS© DS-1 distortion pedal (Keeley mod version)
* Looper > 1 Switch Looper (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 original (doesn't leave Stomp mode)

Major Functionality
*
Snapshots
*
Editor
*
HX Edit

New HX Hardware/Software
*
Helix LT
*
Helix Native
*
HX Effects
*
HX Stomp

FW 1.10 - March 2016
FW 1.12 - May 2016
FW 2.00 - July 2016
FW 2.10 - November 2016
FW 2.20 - March 2017
FW 2.30 - November 2017
FW 2.50 - February 2018
FW 2.60 - July 2018
FW 2.70 -

[sixeight]

Great resource for patches and information about all the amps and effects of the Helix:

https://www.fluidsolo.com/patchexchange/

[admin]

Recent Price bump

Helix  $1699
HX Stomp $650
HX EFFECTS $650

[Kevin M]

I bought an HX stomp last year, and have been extremely impressed with it. I was also able to get Helix Native for under $80 at one point with discounts they were offering, I really like it as well. I have no problems at all dialing in amp/cabinet models that fit what I'm trying to achieve. I know the opinions are all over the place when it cm s to gear like this, but I'm happy with the L6 gear.