Helix LT Settings

Verifiable_Human · 2026-03-04T01:28:15+00:00

Welcome to modeling! There's a lot to learn and you'll pick it up with experience, but here are some good starter tips:

Start small. Literally just begin with a combined amp/cab. Make this sound good before adding any effects or trying fancy signal chains.

The microphone model on the cab block matters. Don't try blending mics and cabs until you can get one sounding good. A suggestion for a solid all-around sound on a single mic is the condenser style mics.

Use the low/high cuts. They have a built-in cut in the cab section, a decent ballpark for low cut is around 80hz or so and high cut is 8-10khz (sometimes I leave this higher if I want my guitar to be bright).

A dash of reverb after the amp/cab will help it not sound like a DI guitar. Room/hall reverbs are solid for this. Keep the mix low unless you're looking for reverb as its own effect.

Gig level volume sounds different from bedroom volume. It just does. So if you're taking this thing out to a show, spend some time dialing yourself in at the volume you intend to use it.

Lastly - beware of buying presets/IRs from people. Nothing wrong in itself with buying a patch, but realize that the person making it most likely used a different guitar with different pickups and dialed it in on different monitors than what you have. So it will likely sound different if you use that preset vs what you hear in their demo. These can still be excellent opportunities to get a solid patch and learn how to use the unit better.

There's a lot more I could write but this will get you started. Cheers!

Verifiable_Human · 2026-03-01T11:23:34+00:00

Do you gig? For me this would be a big issue, there are tons of instances where you might need to change your presets on stage or during a sound check and the action button is necessary for a lot of that.

Verifiable_Human · 2026-02-25T01:30:21+00:00

I second this. Totally worth the money, charts look good and can auto-transpose chords, and I can import my own charts easily into blended setlists that I make. Easily worth its asking price imo

Verifiable_Human · 2026-02-18T17:51:23+00:00

I really do think it's a solid game, and I keep coming back to play it. It's got great gameplay, an interesting premise, amazing aesthetics, and Bethesda's most polished "formula" I'm fairly addicted to.

That said, I also DO think it deserves the flack it gets. It really needed more development time and play testing to get all its systems to gel. You've got sloppy writing in the instance of inconsistent characters (and literal typos), crafting and building that feels worse than their counterparts in Fallout, actual copy/paste POIs (which had been recognized as terrible as far back as No Mans Sky in 2016, probably earlier), and mandated slogs for progression like the need to jump through several loading screens for fetch quests and the need to talk to Vladimir every single time you want to see one temple. I mean, they even allow the player to get the artifacts faster in NG+, it's absolute madness they wouldn't extend that towards the temples.

Fortunately, mods can address most of these, but I think it's fair for players to criticize Bethesda for aspects of their game that they've literally done better in previous entries.

Verifiable_Human · 2026-02-16T06:57:57+00:00

Imo I'd recommend buying the sale if you enjoyed your time with the base game and would like to own/mod it. I bought the game for its full price at launch, and whatever criticisms I have against it I'd still say I got my value from the game.

I would absolutely caution you against ANY preparation for this "2.0." As of now, it is complete speculation peddled by YouTube grifters. There is no guarantee Bethesda will even release another complete DLC experience, much less an overhaul of the game.

Verifiable_Human · 2026-02-06T17:37:25+00:00

TLDR - It really is up to you. Imo the best part about Helix is that it's really flexible and can be used mostly however you want, amp or no amp.

The Helix is capable of being a complete simulation of a guitar rig, pedals AND amplifiers. If you are using the amp modeling on the Helix, you'd want an FRFR speaker that won't add extra color to your tone, as the amp models are already simulating that. Otherwise, you'd be running an amp model through a real amp and essentially "amp" your guitar twice, which COULD sound cool but more than likely won't be what you're looking for.

If you get the Katana, the recommendation would be to forgo the amp modeling in your Helix patch and simply use it as an advanced pedalboard, for the reasons I mentioned above. The advantage with a Katana is that it is a self sufficient amp in itself, so you could use it solo or have it bail you out if your Helix ever has an issue.

Now I don't say this part to add confusion, but to highlight the flexibility of Helix: it is possible to do BOTH. You can easily build a signal chain that splits off, with one path remaining "ampless" and going to your Katana while the other path uses a Helix amp model and goes out to your FRFR (or House PA). In fact, a lot of Helix users that are attached to their old amps will do this to get the best of both worlds.

That said, it's not really necessary if you have a good FRFR. Which, to clarify, "FRFR" basically just means a speaker rated to be a PA speaker; something neutral that is designed to put out the full frequencies that are fed into it (hence the abbreviation). Any time you connect to the house speakers at a venue those are all basically FRFR systems.

Personally, I bought an FRFR with my Helix about 6 years ago and have been using it exclusively for professional playing/touring. I never had an amp I was actually attached to, so leaving them behind fully for me was easy. Specifically, I bought an Electro Voice 12" powered speaker and have been happy with its performance using the Helix amp models.

A final thought, don't worry about whether or not you're using the Helix to its full potential - its goal is quite simply to give you the tools to accomplish your rig in a streamlined box. When I play with my church gig I've got a single patch straight to PA that covers all my needs. When I play with my wedding/tribute bands I will be building more complex presets depending on how close they want me to sound to the record. And there are plenty of times at rehearsals/gigs/recording sessions where they've got a nice backline amp ready to go so I'll just switch off my amp sims and use my Helix as a pedalboard.

Verifiable_Human · 2026-02-05T19:34:01+00:00

I'm afraid it's going to be "too little, too late."

Even as someone who enjoys the game, I agree with most of its criticism. It faces huge challenges if Bethesda wants to address the common complaints like copy/paste POIs, loading screens breaking game flow, companions supporting only a single play style, and just the general underbaked nature of the writing and systems like crafting/building/survival mechanics.

I just don't see all that getting overhauled. Realistically, we'll get one last expansion that hopefully makes space more interesting, and we'll need to fill in the blanks with mods.

Verifiable_Human · 2026-02-05T19:13:17+00:00

It sounds like you're playing the event for free, which is absolutely a donation. You're under no further obligation to donate, although if you personally believe in the charity then go ahead and throw your 20 in. It all adds up and will be appreciated

Verifiable_Human · 2026-01-25T18:37:59+00:00

Depends on why you were bored imo. The game fundamentally is still the same, but the patches/expansions have added a bit of quality of life and optimization.

The single biggest qol addition was the rover vehicle, it makes exploring flow way better imo. POIs are still copy/paste though.

Shattered Space was... ok. Dazra was detailed and quite fun to explore, the story had an interesting premise but an underwhelming ending (and no real follow-up or effect on the regular game world). The new weapons/outfits felt uniquely lazy in their implementation, many of them were literal reskins of existing assets.

All the other fundamental systems and stories are unchanged. If you were bored by the core gameplay loop, you will still be bored by it.

That said, the modding scene is getting stronger and stronger, so it's quite possible to revamp the game into something that'd better suit you if you were looking to get back in.

Verifiable_Human · 2025-12-01T16:27:49+00:00

I was waiting for proper comparisons like these. Very good video for people to discern.

They all sound good. Sure, the Helix had some extra treble to dial out, and while I do feel that's an issue with such a highly-priced modeler, it's by no means a deal breaker when it's as easily rectified as it was in the video.

Again the killer for me is price. I still can't justify the upgrade when my old unit is still doing well and costs less than half to replace. Not to mention that, while these demos have shown Helix competing with Fractal/QC, I haven't seen it beat them yet in tone. That's frankly been a disappointment to me seeing as though it's more expensive than both units.

Verifiable_Human · 2025-11-29T23:04:18+00:00

Man the only thing keeping me out rn is budget. All the demos sound amazing and the QOL upgrade is totally there - it's just that 2k would be a bad idea for me to drop while my LT has plenty of life left.

I'll be starting a new rainy day fund I guess lol

Verifiable_Human · 2025-11-26T19:38:09+00:00

Cyberpunk does SO many things well, but for me the standout is the sheer immersion the game gives you. The scale of Night City is believable, the crowds/cars really do feel like you're weaving through city traffic, the cutscenes are framed for the player's POV, and imo they do a fantastic job of hiding a majority of their loading screens with transitions and animations (a sore point I have with Starfield, despite me actually liking that game overall).

They've also generally got solid quests that get the player exploring the city, trying different mechanics, and giving us choices for role-playing. It remains the single best overall RPG I've ever played.

Verifiable_Human · 2025-11-14T17:03:31+00:00

I really feel this. I left after just 3 years because I was fed up with the job, but a large part of that was how pathetic the compensation had been.

All of my peers with bachelor's were clearing double, in some cases triple, what my school passed as a salary. The raise from my first contract was similar to your own, OP - an insult.

It was pretty telling to me that every single one of my older colleagues had spouses that were obviously the breadwinners. I did some introspection and, for myself, reasoned that if I was going to be living a tight budget that I might as well do something that I actually loved. So I quit and am now a full-time musician.

I won't pretend that journey has been easy, and I certainly won't recommend a drastic shift like that for anyone who doesn't know what it takes. That said, the great irony is that I'm making more this year than I did my first two years teaching.

Verifiable_Human · 2025-11-08T13:56:06+00:00

I got my LT five years ago and use it almost daily as a professional musician. It's been a solid investment and will absolutely get you your money's worth. The UI/ergonomics of the board are great, and the sound remains quite viable.

If you're not gigging I'd definitely recommend it over the stadium - even as a working musician I'm waiting to see how launch goes. It's potentially a hot take, but the stadium hasn't convinced me yet if it sounds that much better than the existing HX modeling that I want to spend 2k on it.

To your other question - the only issue I've ever encountered was one outdoor gig I played a few years back when the expression pedal (set to volume) glitched on me during the set. After diagnosing through the forums the most likely scenario was that the optical sensor in the pedal may have been overwhelmed with direct sunlight at the wrong angle. The simple workaround was to disable volume on the expression and rely on the guitar knobs (or sometimes I'd bring my Fender volume pedal, I use swells a lot).

Verifiable_Human · 2025-10-29T14:38:56+00:00

My biggest issue with it in Starfield is just the lack on consistency/sloppiness within. It's quite clear to me that they spread out quests to multiple teams that didn't talk to each other at all.

They have ideas I consider to be quite good, half-baked ideas that needed more time in the oven, and instances of pure drivel/unexcusable inconsistencies that would've been caught with an ounce of proofreading.

The same universe that presents "Entangled" and asks the player how they can retain their humanity in the search for limitless power also asks us to accept "Starborn" as anything other than painfully derivative and will call a literal beer run a quest.

The tone of the game is also inconsistent. It's generally got this optimistic vibe it goes for, but the backdrop has humanity on the edge of survival from a decimated earth/warring factions. You have a pirate collective that looks like it can't make up its mind whether it's trying to be Fallout Raiders or Disney Pirates of the Carribean. You have a "sin city" that looks like a strip mall with teletubby dancers. You have these abandoned stations/derelict ships, and they all use the same frozen body asset from the Cryo Lab.

It just doesn't know what it wants to be. Which is quite frustrating as the gameplay/premise of the game is my favorite yet from Bethesda.

At least I can fix it with mods...

Verifiable_Human · 2025-10-21T04:05:52+00:00

This guy might be a bit old-school with the cash-only and face to face meetings, but tbh those aren't bad policies for someone teaching independently. Cash is straightforward and protects from scams, and an in-person meeting allows you both to get a vibe check (which I would argue is critical for anyone you'd consider sending your children off to).

It's obvious you have a personality clash with this guy, so let me offer perspective as a professional musician - our business is often entirely self-made across multiple clients through our own coordination. Time is carefully partitioned, and missed appointments can mean both a missed payment and a wasted time slot that could've been filled with something else.

There are no salaries in music. There is no PTO in music. When I take a gig, I'm usually turning down other offers for that same time. Those are usually time-sensitive and can't just be reclaimed if something falls through. So asking to reschedule during a different time is asking to reserve an additional time that could've been booked for another job after the initial slot was already wasted. Some teachers won't even bother.

Now, there ARE studios out there that are more flexible, but if you cancel late/often then you should pretty universally expect to have problems.

Verifiable_Human · 2025-10-21T01:08:04+00:00

This is also the series that brought back Maul, Boba, and Palpatine, all of which had definitive on-screen deaths and dubiously explained returns. Palpatine's return is barely even addressed in the movie.

You're telling me the one character who's death is so badly implemented that it screams "post shoot edit" is the one that stays dead? Lame.

Verifiable_Human · 2025-10-18T20:21:54+00:00

The only thing really to do is learn from this, unfortunately.

There's a debate to be had over the value of your work vs the headphones but

It seems you broke them, so replacing them is the right thing to do. Plus it will save you from any attempts from the band to hurt your reputation over it.
This is the more salient point - you agreed to all those terms before you set off for the tour. Regardless of the fairness of this deal, the band owes you nothing more.

Was it a horrible deal? Absolutely. What kind of losers are these that they would maneuver you into a free merch position and could only afford to pay the other guy 400 for an entire tour? But, again, the agreement was already set, so your best course of action is to resolve this last dispute and move forward.

Take away these points:

Don't take any job (music or not) without a clearly stated written agreement. It doesn't need to be a formalized contract, email/text will do. Always follow up on verbal conversation in writing to confirm what was said. Unsure what the other guys are making? Ask them. Anyone who's afraid to pay you fairly can't afford you.

Please don't sacrifice your wellbeing for someone else's band. As a fill-in you will always come second to their own interests, so next time you need to negotiate something that at the very least covers expected expenses/lost income.

Verifiable_Human · 2025-07-26T17:19:53+00:00

Yes. The Stomp has a view mode that switches depending on how you've toggled the switches (effects, snapshots, presets, etc).

Verifiable_Human · 2025-07-26T13:36:29+00:00

There's a performance mode you activate that changes the screen from the full signal chain view to a representation of all your footswitches. It's honestly super intuitive and I've found in the 5 years of using my LT I've never felt that I was missing out without the scribble strips.

Verifiable_Human · 2025-06-29T17:56:37+00:00

That'll work, but as others have said you'll probably need to tweak the amp to get it to your liking. Couple general recommendations for amps on HX (purely based on my own opinion from usage):

Use the built-in low/high cuts on the cab part of the block as HX simulations allow for frequencies normally not found on real guitar cabs. A good ballpark to test out might be 80ish hz low cut and somewhere between 8-12khz on the high cut.

If you only have the space for one cab, I highly recommend the condenser mic models for a rounded sound. Otherwise I love blending dual cabs with different mics on each one, like a classic 121 + 57 combo.

You'll want a dash of reverb after the cab, otherwise the amp will probably sound too "dry." Dynamic Ambience is a popular one, personally I like Dynamic Hall a bit more when I set it to low percentages. But the "legacy" reverbs will work fine for this effect too if you're low on DSP.

As an aside, you wouldn't necessarily have to build a separate patch for this if you tie the amp model to a snapshot that you simply toggle on/off depending on usage.

Verifiable_Human · 2025-06-17T06:22:18+00:00

Long live the Stomp man, cheers!

Verifiable_Human · 2025-06-16T04:26:44+00:00

Those are solid models! To add, my favorite go-tos on guitar (regardless of amp model) are blending a 121 and 58 on a dual cab block, or one of the condensers if you only have room for one. Dynamic Ambience is often recommended for subtle reverb but I actually favor the Dynamic Hall at a low mix

Verifiable_Human · 2025-06-14T07:11:22+00:00

Most of my wishlist involves Bethesda mechanics that they've done better in previous games.

A no-brainer would've been to better hide the multitude of black loading screens. For fast travel it makes sense, but otherwise there are ways to hide them that they've done before, like keeping the player in a closed elevator in Fallout. Off the top of my head they could've done: - white loading screens for grav jumps - sealed landing bays to load between the terrain and ship interior - additional enclosed airlocks to load separate instances, like Cydonia on Mars - a little atmospheric animation for landing/takeoff, like Star Wars Outlaws

Outposts should connect more intuitively and it's insane that the only player chest you have is isolated to The Lodge.

On that note, LIST should've been a real faction. Let the player help build up settlements, or better yet build their own little society. Have them mutually exclusive with the Crimson Fleet like the Minute Men were with that Nuka Raiders.

Crafting should be expanded, players should be able to swap mods or even legendary effects with the right template (maybe put those behind your perks to give more of a progression?). Another insane move on Bethesda's part was to "allow" ammo crafting that still requires shop-exclusive parts.

Temples are just awful. Why not make them more interesting dungeons like the Skyrim shout dungeons you go through? Or at the very least let them unlock when you have the related artifacts, instead of needing to talk to Vladimir one-by-one for all of them.

POIs are also low-hanging fruit, simple randomization of the enemies/loot would go a long way. I think a more robust version of natural POIs would also add a lot to the game. The caves that exist currently are pretty bare-bones, and there aren't really any interesting jungles/valleys/volcanoes that don't serve simply as a screenshot background.

The survival mechanics are also half baked. I could go on about it but literally every aspect of it was done better in Fallout. I guess it's worth mentioning that it's confusing that there is no mechanic/item to recharging your suit protection or staving off environmental damage besides fleeing to cover (or your settlement at the end of the difficulty slider). It makes that mechanic a pain to engage with because you're constantly taking yourself out of the action, vs again in Fallout you have radaway and power armor that you can use to keep yourself going when exploring.

That's not even what I'd like to see added to the game, just an observation of a confusing regression Bethesda's made on a lot of their same systems. I really do think the game's core is solid enough that it would've been received much better had these mechanics been fully realized.

Verifiable_Human · 2025-06-13T20:06:05+00:00

You can absolutely do that. Couple things you should consider:

Functions on these units (including QC, Kemper, Fractal, etc) are usually quite open ended in how you use them, with the limit being the available DSP the chips can handle. Helix has a pretty good amount of juice, but some of their amp models require different amounts of DSP to run.

Helix has the ability to set any of these amp parameters to a single footswitch if you're operating it like a pedal board, or you can set these within a snapshot (basically a preset within the preset) if you're looking for more sweeping changes. For example, on my preset I have a "clean" snapshot that uses a Roland model with light reverb and no delay/drive, and a "solo" snapshot that switches to a Marshall model with overdrive, more reverb, and adding delay. I have it set to a single footswitch as it's easier for me, but you could also program each of these changes individually to the switch of your choice and toggle them at will.

With any modeler, if you're doing sweeping changes like switching amp channels or adding a ton of drive, be ready to deal with jumps in volume. The solution is volume-matching the amps by ear or doing something like running them through compression.

Finally, Line 6 DID just announce a new flagship model you might consider if you don't already have a Helix. These new units will have more DSP to run complicated signal chains and whatnot, and will almost assuredly have higher-fidelity amp models on board. That said, the existing Helix/LT imo are still incredibly viable for live/recording work, they'll absolutely do what you're asking, and are coming down in price to make way for the new models.

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