Thank you for the comparison video. Both sounded great and you were able to dial in a very convincing sound from the HX. There were a few points where the analog KOT had a slightly richer sound to it (like the difference between whole milk and half and half in the US - I think in the UK it would be homogenized milk & single cream? - you can tell the difference by themselves but over cereal who would know?). Considering that for the price of a KOT you're nearly at a used HX stomp or effects and the lead time to get an HX is 0 it is a nice digital option and with HX native for home use it is even more affordable. That said, I still find it easier to lose myself to the music with a traditional amp and pedal board. Feel is still a bit different but it is mostly mental. The option paralysis I get with all of the choices in something like the HX has me constantly looking for that next little change to settings/amp/effect to make it sound "better" rather than just play a little differently or roll the vol/tone on the guitar like I would with my regular amp. *edited out a question about the signal path that was already answered below*
Hey Todd, Thanks for the comment man! Thank you very much for the compliment. The HX KOT patch is SOOOOOO close. You've nailed it there with your observation, the real KOT was slightly richer. For me, the biggest difference was in how it felt to play. I was playing the real KOT plugged into the Helix (All the amp sims were Helix for this) but the real KOT into a real amp is an experience that the HX just can't replicate. Though, it can get close. In a live context, the listener would never know. The only different would be the feel. There's a certain interaction with the guitar, a real pedal and a real amp that can't be done digitally. The sound is there, but something is missing. I do think it's partly mental like you said, but one thing I've realised over the years I've been playing is that if you think something sounds (or is) better, it will make you play better. A percentage of being a good player is feeling inspired. We get inspired by our tone. If we think something sounds great, it makes us play better. I'm 100% with you there. I like the tactile feel of real pedals too. I don't use the HX to it's full potential. It can do SO much and all I really use it for it studio work and just to mimic my live rig at home! I don't have the desire to dig too deep and spend hours tweaking it. But give me a real amp and a pedal board and I can get a tone in 30 seconds. That's what I really love! I've gigged with the HX before. I did a bunch of wedding gigs and party gigs with a covers band and we were all on in ears so no real amps on stage. The HX sounded great out the front, but on in ears it just didn't sit right for me. It sounded good, but the little drivers of the in ear monitors don't compare to hearing a real speaker in a room!
Hey man, Thanks so much! Glad you like it. All the amp tones are coming from the Helix I'm using the Litigator amp model: Drive: 2 Bass: 7 Mid: 4 Treble: 7 Presence: 5 Using the 1x12 US Deluxe cab with a 160 Ribbon And the Ganymede reverb. This patch is available from an article that I wrote a little while back: www.guitarchalk.com/line-6-helix-blues/ It's the "ConTONEiuum" patch. The only different between the way I have it set up on my Helix now is that I've added the KoT pedal once the 2.8 update came out. Let me know what you think man!
Good video. Surely though a true comparison needs both pedals going into the same amp. Would love to hear a comparison with the helix being used as a stomp box into the front of whatever amp you were using.
Hey Tony, thanks for checking the video out. I shot this around 2 years ago so I can’t remember what the full setup was, but from memory I’m pretty sure I plugged the real KoT into the Helix and used the amp inside the Helix for it. Maybe my memory is wrong. They did get it super close though. There isn’t much difference tonally at all. They did a killer job
Hey Leigh, great job mate, there's not a massive difference but you can hear it and like you said its more in the feel. As i said to you yesterday, i love the KOT in my Axe-Fx III. Nice one mate!
Hey Mark, Thank you man! Glad you enjoyed! Yeah, sound wise they're very close. It's a feel thing between playing a real analogue pedal and playing something digital. But, it's SO CLOSE! How does the one in the Axe-FX sound? I didn't know that had the KoT in there.
The one in the Axe-Fx sounds great, its my favorite drive pedal in there, it works just like the real thing, when you put in front of an amp it pushes it so naturally, its great.
La chitarra è un altro strumento importante e ha un suono particolare bello. Complimenti! Io mi chiamo Grazia e ho un canale di cucina se ti va di dare un’occhiata magari ci iscriviamo a vicenda ciao 👋🏼
Thank you for the comparison video. Both sounded great and you were able to dial in a very convincing sound from the HX. There were a few points where the analog KOT had a slightly richer sound to it (like the difference between whole milk and half and half in the US - I think in the UK it would be homogenized milk & single cream? - you can tell the difference by themselves but over cereal who would know?).
Considering that for the price of a KOT you're nearly at a used HX stomp or effects and the lead time to get an HX is 0 it is a nice digital option and with HX native for home use it is even more affordable. That said, I still find it easier to lose myself to the music with a traditional amp and pedal board. Feel is still a bit different but it is mostly mental. The option paralysis I get with all of the choices in something like the HX has me constantly looking for that next little change to settings/amp/effect to make it sound "better" rather than just play a little differently or roll the vol/tone on the guitar like I would with my regular amp.
*edited out a question about the signal path that was already answered below*
Hey Todd,
Thanks for the comment man! Thank you very much for the compliment. The HX KOT patch is SOOOOOO close. You've nailed it there with your observation, the real KOT was slightly richer. For me, the biggest difference was in how it felt to play. I was playing the real KOT plugged into the Helix (All the amp sims were Helix for this) but the real KOT into a real amp is an experience that the HX just can't replicate. Though, it can get close.
In a live context, the listener would never know. The only different would be the feel. There's a certain interaction with the guitar, a real pedal and a real amp that can't be done digitally. The sound is there, but something is missing.
I do think it's partly mental like you said, but one thing I've realised over the years I've been playing is that if you think something sounds (or is) better, it will make you play better. A percentage of being a good player is feeling inspired. We get inspired by our tone. If we think something sounds great, it makes us play better. I'm 100% with you there.
I like the tactile feel of real pedals too. I don't use the HX to it's full potential. It can do SO much and all I really use it for it studio work and just to mimic my live rig at home! I don't have the desire to dig too deep and spend hours tweaking it. But give me a real amp and a pedal board and I can get a tone in 30 seconds. That's what I really love!
I've gigged with the HX before. I did a bunch of wedding gigs and party gigs with a covers band and we were all on in ears so no real amps on stage. The HX sounded great out the front, but on in ears it just didn't sit right for me. It sounded good, but the little drivers of the in ear monitors don't compare to hearing a real speaker in a room!
Just subscribed! Love this video and the tone you’re getting. Could you please share your amp, cab and reverb settings?
Hey man,
Thanks so much! Glad you like it. All the amp tones are coming from the Helix
I'm using the Litigator amp model:
Drive: 2
Bass: 7
Mid: 4
Treble: 7
Presence: 5
Using the 1x12 US Deluxe cab with a 160 Ribbon
And the Ganymede reverb.
This patch is available from an article that I wrote a little while back: www.guitarchalk.com/line-6-helix-blues/
It's the "ConTONEiuum" patch. The only different between the way I have it set up on my Helix now is that I've added the KoT pedal once the 2.8 update came out. Let me know what you think man!
Good video. Surely though a true comparison needs both pedals going into the same amp.
Would love to hear a comparison with the helix being used as a stomp box into the front of whatever amp you were using.
Hey Tony, thanks for checking the video out. I shot this around 2 years ago so I can’t remember what the full setup was, but from memory I’m pretty sure I plugged the real KoT into the Helix and used the amp inside the Helix for it. Maybe my memory is wrong.
They did get it super close though. There isn’t much difference tonally at all. They did a killer job
Thanks
Thanks for checking out the video!
Great products Line 6, I have a Variax guitar, nice video, like : )
Yeah, Line 6 make some great products. I love the Helix. I tried a Variax acoustic a few years ago and it was very nice.
Hey Leigh, great job mate, there's not a massive difference but you can hear it and like you said its more in the feel. As i said to you yesterday, i love the KOT in my Axe-Fx III. Nice one mate!
Hey Mark,
Thank you man! Glad you enjoyed!
Yeah, sound wise they're very close. It's a feel thing between playing a real analogue pedal and playing something digital. But, it's SO CLOSE!
How does the one in the Axe-FX sound? I didn't know that had the KoT in there.
The one in the Axe-Fx sounds great, its my favorite drive pedal in there, it works just like the real thing, when you put in front of an amp it pushes it so naturally, its great.
La chitarra è un altro strumento importante e ha un suono particolare bello. Complimenti! Io mi chiamo Grazia e ho un canale di cucina se ti va di dare un’occhiata magari ci iscriviamo a vicenda ciao 👋🏼
Bel video e canale molto interessante per i miei gusti. 👍per te e iscrizione effettuata con 🔔attiva
I wonder how long this guy spends on his hair in the morning
That was 3 years ago during lockdown so not long at all.