Tuesday, November 5, 2024
GuitarGuitar Amps

We Need to talk about Helix Native – it is CRIMINALLY Underrated


For my Presets visit: https://johnnathancordy.gumroad.com/
For ArtistWorks courses: https://artistwork.prf.hn/click/camref:1011lwi3R
For TrueFire courses and All Access Memberships: https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100lqzr3
Use the code JNC40 for a 40% discount off all courses, or JNC100 for $100 off all access membership!
https://thmn.to/thoprod/450218?offid=1&affid=3252 HX Stomp affiliate link…

https://www.patreon.com/johnnathancordy get my lesson tabs and backing tracks here

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnnathancordy – if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!

Get my PADs bundle here: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=TVZN39QQAAKTG (this folder will grow, and I’d encourage you to ask for different keys/songs and stuff that might suit this type of preset?)

I’ve decided to make it possible to grab both my Helix/HX Stomp bundles (the expression bundle with freeze presets has always been separate) together – https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=CCTNL7P2XSQDC – I will then email you a link to both bundles!

Try my general patches for Helix or HX Stomp in this bundle using this link – I will then send out the patches! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=45L8AZ4RYL3HW

You can get my EXPRESSION patches in this bundle using this link – I will then send out the patches! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3PUJ7M8YPS4WU

Try my patches for Pod GO using this link – I will then send out the patches! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2E7DSCRZW45JN

https://www.patreon.com/johnnathancordy get my backing tracks here

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnnathancordy – if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!

#talk #Helix #Native #CRIMINALLY #Underrated

Originally posted by UCkL4v-tohdDZX7kzmL9b2UA at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogio7L4Nii0

38 thoughts on “We Need to talk about Helix Native – it is CRIMINALLY Underrated

  • I always feel like mentioning this as to why I still feel the Helix, despite it's age, is the best all rounder platform. Not just for the practical aspect of having my live sounds available in my DAW unit free, but for quick preset building too. Now that I split my usage between the Helix and the Cortex, I realise how everytime I need to work on a preset with the Helix it's so easy since all I need to do is plug in my interface, turn my DAW on and there I go, and when I'm done I just need to copy it and that I can do during a rehearsal or before a gig. Another extra benefit is how easy it is, at least with Ableton, to program snapshot changes, making practice sessions a breeze when I don't have much time or I'm too tired to set the unit up. The fact you get a discount with a Helix product is also a plus, even if yes it has become a bit too expensive for it's age. Sure you get a lot more options than most of the popular plug ins that target specific genres, but let's face it…we all end up staying in our comfort zone anyway making this argument kind of invalid.

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  • Also! Can you make a long form playlist of just your playing and music? It would be fun to just let them all run.

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  • Hey can you go in and clean up those plosives on your TrueFire stinger? if you send it over I can do it for ya. Love the videos. Keep up the good work.

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  • I absolutely love Helix Native. I use it in my DAW so I can "re-amp" without any fuss at all. Amazing software. Doesn't replace my floor unit but has it's own place.

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  • The only thing I’d complain is the UI does not scale (on Windows at least). If you’re using it on 14” 4K monitor, you’ll have a hard time reading anything on the UI.

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  • Frankly I have bunch of modellers, tube amps, pedals, cabs, nice MacBook, etc. I love that stuff but live rig is a 100$ interface, old thinkpad and a behringer FCB1010. Helix Native is amazing value and features. I don’t think it’s even a competition when you look at the big picture. I’m considering selling my FAS and quad cortex because fuck their hardware Dsp business model. It’s just downright bad manners to lock software to hardware. My thinkpad and Evo 4 interface are much less dear that an expensive modeller.

    For the comments talking about price: get off your high horse and pirate that shit or leave your bedroom and literally just ask someone to let you “borrow” a HX native install. Yes it’s way more affordable with the bundled HX stomp or something but 100% this plugin is worth it even at 500$ with how many studio grade EQ, Compressors and other features. HX native + a free daw like Luna and a basic interface + behringer fcb1010 = poor man’s axe fx.

    It’s not a perfect plugin: I wish there more dual it or even Quad IR, the pitch shift algorithm chokes on big extended 7th chords and so much more but compared to the other options in the market: props to line 6 for not locking us onto hardware.

    Love your videos JNC thank you!!

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  • Interesting. Let's see… Since I don't own Helix or any other Line6 Gear, price (for Finns) is 365.51 € / $399.81 / £305.94 + VAT.
    –> 1.255 x 365.51 € = 458,72 € / $501.76 / £383.96.

    Thomann (Finland, i.e. 25,5 % VAT)
    Line6 Helix 1 290 € / $1,411.07 / £1079.75
    Line6 HX Stomp 659 € / $720.85 / £551.59

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  • I agree Its AMAZING!!! I use is on the HElix & HX Stomp and for orchestral and sound design stuff – cellos / pianos / choirs / timpani etc its a constant IDEA machine, where they 'lose points' with general public is that the GUI & lack of use as a Standalone. But if you've got any HX / Helix gear see what deals they've got on. Go mines Free and because I've got a Helix & HX Stomp Line6 allowed me to 'gift' the other free one to a mate

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  • It would be great to get a midi controller for HX Native (or even midi remote to Stomps) wth scribble strips and knobs/sliders that allows haptic feedback…as you switch between blocks the scribble strips change to indicate the parameters you are adjusting.

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  • Interesting a lot of people say it doesn’t stand up to UA, Neural etc. I am trying out the 14day trail of UA Lion plugin. Just using the Super Lead presets I then compared it to Helix Native Jumped Vintage Marshal. They can sound pretty much identical.
    I did use the Lion with no cab into my go to dual Helix cab (open back Matchless 25/30 combination) so I got a different character then the Lion would stand alone but the actual amp blocks were very comparable.

    Native offers a lot but just like the HX hardware the individual blocks and factory presets need a good bit of tweaking.

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  • Agree, althougb Amplitube 5 is getting pretty good now as well given integration w Tonex. The delay/revebs may be even better if you put Amplitube Time/Space "pedals" in chain at end in stereo.

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  • Helix Native – it's got that Pod XT reputation of sounding bad by default with presets, and a clumsy UI. I have a pod xt, which was chosen mostly because of price – I got a new guitar + pod xt for £550 or thereabouts and still have both.

    The pod xt doubles as a guitar usb interface. For the most part, for a single amp + effects Helix is really no better than the pod xt – in fact I'd go as far as saying that some of the models are probably exactly the same although helix did add a lot more and obviously has more processing power to create chains.

    One key thing here – the setting of the input level / gain flaw – that, absolutely ruined some of my experience with helix native, neural dsp and TH-U. Now my demo has run out I can't try them with gain on zero. I've tried a couple of neural dsp corrected and it's clear that they sound much better but the one plugin I might buy I can't try again so I'm never going to buy it.

    Similarly helix native kind of ruined their own short demo period by giving bad advice about input gain.

    I think the neural DSP plugins trump helix native simply because they give better tones out of the box. These plugins seem expensive for the limited number of amps and pedals they include though. Although perhaps that's just an illusion because I certainly don't really need a ton of amps and effects – I could probably live with the archetype Tim Henson's 3 amps and few pedals. But, as I say, the trial period disappeared before I'd made a decision and I demoed with input gain too high. All of the amp modellers have this half price sale thing, but when that pops up because I can't try neural dsp I ignore them now. It's a marketing failure imo.

    THU demos repeat after a time period. but I think you get to the point where you're quickly overwhelmed with choice as to which product to buy even though they're all more or less exactly the same. My tendency when I'm given too much choice is not to buy any of them (others buy and get remorse, others buy and convince themselves their choice was the best hence the online 'wars' between these kind of things, and, of course, the most famous are those who buy them all, or at least n+1) Unless I absolutely need the thing I just spend all the time looking at the alternatives umm and ahh for a bit and move on purchasing nothing.

    This is perhaps why my phone is still the original iphone SE and my guitars are decades old ESP LTD (that I bought same time as the pod xt) and a burns king cobra (that someone else tracked down for me) So I end up just sticking with what I already have. Unless my phone eventually dies or my guitars snapped in half then I'd have to buy a replacement. I do spend a fair amount of time looking at different guitars but never choosing one from the 4 or 5 I could probably live with.

    So although I've gone through various iterations of free trial periods with all of these, helix native included I'm not using any of them. Now I have tonocracy, neural amp modeler and NAM universal which, combined with the effects you get with Ableton Live Suite give enough guitar tones for my playing. Tone wise they are probably better than the brands, but in terms of the UI and polished experience they are admittedly lacking.

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  • It’s only free sometimes, I bought a helix earlier this year and it wasn’t free. People have mentioned in the helix group that they got it for free, but I’m sure it will be on sale for Black Friday.

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  • It's awesome. Use it every day. Only drag the Floor out to update the presets (drag from Native to HX Edit) and then take it to play out

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  • I dont have an effects unit, but I use Helix native live. I use it with ableton live and a midi switcher. Sounds good and feels good.

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  • Bias fx 2 clicked for me, as far as I'm concerned the sounds is no different from a polished recording, before that I tried a bunch of plugins and suites like amplitude and guitar rig but they always had that digital edge

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  • I own both Native and a HX Stomp. How do you copy presets from one to the other? I have a few things on my stomp that I’d love to have on my computer and the other way as well

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  • So far, the Neural DSP Tone King Imperial for me, but I’ve not tried Helix Native yet. Would like to!

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  • I have it from back when I bought my Helix. I looked a few days ago for a friend and they wanted $399 for it. I gave him a few other options instead. I love my Helix and I love Native but $399 is highway robbery.

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  • With the same IRs Helix Native holds up against ANY plugin I've tried. Neural is nothing special, and I own several.

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  • It’s too expensive and needs a standalone option. If it checked those to boxes, I’d be all over it.

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  • It might look a little dated by now, but I still prefer it a lot over the (partially) skeuomorphic interfaces of e.g. Neural, Fender, and UA. There is no point in operating a circular knob with a mouse to set a linear value… There are a few minor annoyances though … I wish it would be easier to detect which blocks are on or bypassed – depending on the distance and lighting, it is almost impossible. I have erroneously changed values of sliders by touching the mouse wheel or touchpad without realizing the slider still having the focus more times than I can count.
    I also think they could/should implement some features in the software (same goes for HX Edit) that are not possible on the hardware, like: converting between amp+cab, amp, and preamp of the same model without loosing (shared) settings, copying and pasting multiple blocks at once, turning the damned default of "snapshot bypass" off, and most importantly: multi-select for sliders to turn snapshots on for multiple sliders at once – the amount of lifetime I have spent doing right-click -> snapshot is ridiculous and carpal tunnel syndrome inducing… Otherwise really happy.

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