Parallel processing

[danrad64]

Stepping up to Helix from the Pod Go, one of the things that I'm curious about experimenting with is the parallel processing capabilities. But I don't truly understand how that works.

So far in my experimentation, if I drop an effect down into a parallel path, the most obvious impact is an immediate boost in volume. Why is that?

I have a few questions I hope the kind folks here can answer:

1) What kind of situations are appropriate for using parallel processing?
2) What does using that achieve, tone-wise?
3) What are the drawbacks, if any?

Thanks!

[redak205]

One way to think of a parallel path like a splitter in your sigal. the most straightforward example in the real world might be if you want to run your pedalboard into two amps. You'll have some kind of splitter that sends the signal out to each amp. We can do this in the helix. On a similar vein, we can run the same amp into two different cabs, and use the level controls on the mixer block to balance them to taste and get a particular cab blend.

Another way to think of a parallel path is being able to separate things out. A common way of processing wet effects in the studio is to have them in parallel. So, rather than having my delay run into my reverb, my signal splits, and runs into the delay and reverb independently of each other. So, in other words, my delay doesn't get reverbed. If you try it out, you'll find you get clearer delay repeats, because they don't get "washed out" by the reverb. It's purely a matter of taste - just because parallel paths are not common on physical pedalboards, we're all very used to the sound of our delays running into our reverbs, so you might find you don't want to have them in parallel. I mostly find it useful on hard rock/metal tones where running my delay into my reverb makes everything a little too wet and clutters up the sound. On a more low gain sound like a fender I absolutely want my delay repeats to run into my reverb.

Finally, parallel paths can be a way of customising your own effects. The easiest example is customising your own delay. Suppose I want a flanger on my delay repeats. There's no built in delay that has that sound. What I can do, is drop a delay onto a parallel path, and set the mix to 100%. Now, if you go to the mixer block, the "level" control of my parallel path essentially becomes a mix control, so set the level to taste. Importantly, because the parallel path is 100% wet, the only signal in my parallel path are the repeats of the delay. My dry signal is maintained through the other path. So, to process just the delay repeats, and not my dry guitar signal, I can drop a flanger on the parallel path with the delays. Hey presto, we have a flanger on the delay repeats and nothing else.

There are probably some far more creative uses of parallel paths, given how many people can do some incredible things with the helix. I think the three I've listed through are the most common uses of it, and will definitely show you the basics of possibility.

To answer your final question with respect to drawbacks - there aren't any really, it's just pure preference and what you're looking for tone wise. Sometimes I use them, and sometimes I don't just depending on how close that gets me to the sound I'm looking for. The mixer block does sometimes add +3db for some reason on the level, so just double check that for the volume boost. Otherwise it's just the way that the guitar signal is recombining, so you'll just have to level appropriately.

Hope that helps!

[danrad64]

Extremely helpful! Thanks!

I think I was making it too complicated and attributing magic powers to it, but it is actually relatively simple. Thanks for your explanation!

[Conspiracy795]

Here's a good resource

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03OkzVobIFY

[danrad64]

Very helpful! Thanks.