His equipment changes every time I see him. This pedal, that amp, this guitar, that guitar. I switched over to the Helix done with my pedals. Nothing else for me.
I have thought about just selling all of my Amps and pedals. I have a lot of shit. But to be honest it fucking scares me. My victory Amps sound great but even though I have a huge pedalboard that just about does it all....I still get board. Helix has been around for about 5 years now and it makes me apprehensive to get it. Surely the next greatest one will come out shortly. But if I do get one I will get the power cab as well. What do you use for speakers at home?
@@therangersinger Look at Kemper -- they have had the same Toaster amp for 10 years now. They keep releasing updates. The recent Helix update with oversampling makes it sounds even better. Since 3.0, there is great acoustic sim and poly pitch shifting. The Helix allows me to do everything I would ever need. I can't say the same thing about other pieces of gear I've owned previously, other processors that have that annoying 27 ms of silence when switching between presets. Helix sounds like the real thing. I have recorded with it and gigged with it and not one person complained about it sounding digital. If you asked me 2 years ago, if I was 100% happy with the Helix -- I'd say "no", because there was no acoustic sim back than. Or the Freeze functionality, which is a nice gimmick I could really live without. Now I honestly have not a single complaint in terms of the sounds/tweakability. There are some flaws, but I found workarounds for all of them. For example, I recently figured out how to use a dummy SEND1 block to help me see if my auto-engaged WAH-WAH is on or off. I have a preset for every song, with snapshots for different sounds. When switching between the snapshots, there is no audio gaps. I can program my delays to spill over, assign different tap tempo to each preset, engage/disengage effects with the EXP pedal with different values of engagement... for example my wah turns off after 300 MS, but Delay turns off after a second. The only thing I wish Helix did differently was bring back the step design for the 2nd row of buttons, the way things were on Pod HD 500X. But everybody is going for the flat design, and I doubt it'll be brought back. With some practice, I hardly ever miss-press the buttons now, but still I feel the back row should be raised more.
@@accidentals_hacks my friend. I didn't expect such an outstanding level of a response. I'll keep it short. Thank you for every letter you typed. I know when I sell everything I'll put money back in the bank. I mean hell just my automatone and large myriad fuzz being sold will bring at least $1100.....looks like I may be visiting sweetwater, then selling everything else on reverb. I might keep my tuner, wah, looper and the Strymon volante that's about it.
@@therangersinger btw for amplification I use studio monitors at home to tweak my sounds. Live I use whatever is there pretty much, just for stage volume, since I go to straight to FOH . Typically you would just go into an effects loop of an amp which necessitates using global EQ so it’s not too woofy. I have my global eq set up so it gets rid of the sub frequencies. So it’s been either on or off depending on the amp and room. For example on a Marshall stack it was off, on Fender Mustang it was on. One time I played a show going into the input of Peavey Classic 50, because the effects loop was broken. I also have Headrush FRFR 108 which is very popular among processor users. It’s also very boomy. It’s basically a very low weight and powerful wedge monitor that I always keep in my trunk just in case. Perfect to hear yourself on stage…. But absolutely not for dialing in your presets at home since it’s bass-heavy.
If you're using a powered PA cab with Helix, just use the Helix Global EQ. it's an easy tweak when you change your monitors, room, etc. No need to mess with each patch, though I may include a Low/High Shelf Stereo EQ in some of my individual patches if I get frequencies I don't want.
Excellent video! You talked about all the stuff I didn't know I wanted to know. I just knew there was a lot that I wasn't getting from all the other videos I've watched about the PowerCab/Helix rig. This is incredibly insightful. Thank you!
I've heard good things about the powercab. However, they can still be a bit pricey in my opinion. Another alternative would be the Laney LFR112. More simpler design but still maintains its value for what it does. And of course just a tad cheaper if you need a frfr solution quickly. It all depends on your needs of course!
How are you liking the Laney so far? is it loud enough to keep up with a very loud drummer? And do you find the weight of it bothersome when bringing it to a rehearsal/performance?
I was a hold out going digital, but after a pedalboard incident at an outdoor gig last summer, I bought a used HD500X, initially with the intention of just replacing my pedalboard and running effects only through the front of my amp. Skipping ahead a few months and now I’m running preamp sims (with no cabs) directly into the effects return of my tube amp. This bypasses my amp’s preamp section entirely and puts the entire sound control at my feet. I think it gives me the best of both worlds. Going further into the deep end, I bought s JTV59 Variax and use the CATV cable into the HD500X. Now, with the push of one footswitch I can change amp, effects, guitar, and guitar tuning and I don’t even need a battery in my Variax. I literally go from clean to dirty to acoustic to open tuning slide in the same set.
I recently got the Captor X and didn't think of doing this when I purchased it, but I'm sending a dry XLR out of the Captor X into the PowerCab 112 Plus and holy crap it sounds amazing!! Of course I'm also sending the other XLR to my interface and recording via Reaper. But having the amp sound in the room, this has totally changed how I feel about my older Marshall DSL40c. I don't even use the Captor X attenuation and just completely bypass the DSL's internal speaker. As a bonus, I can also XLR out of the PowerCab to my interface and record that, if I so choose. I initially bought the PowerCab for modeling and it works fantastic for that. But now I have a new use for it and I'm really pleased with it.
Just got the Stomp XL, and thank you Line6. Most amazing piece of gear I ever got. intuitive, easy to use, I'm sold! Got my first presets in on the first day. I've only been playing through headphones, but look forward to getting a power cab Plus! Well done Line6 and all the people involved in the HX and Helix products thanks again. I am your newest, happiest fan boy
I got my HX STOMP 18 months ago and I could never get any amp or powered speaker sound like the presets I´d created in my studio. I traveled to USA in order to buy my Line 6 Powercag 212 plus, that was the best investment that I could make, now I have exactly the tones and sounds I wanted. I use the amp modelers with imported IR´s and the stomp effects for both, distorted and clean sounds, now finally I´m 100% satisfied. Excellent video, many thanks and cheers from Costa Rica... Pura Vida
Hi Robert, can you please explain why plugging in your HX stomp into a tube amp didn't sound right? Is it just because the tube amp has it's own EQ? couldn't you just adjust that? I have a traditional tube amp +stomp box pedal board and M13. Want to get an HX stomp for a light setup to plug into house PA. but I guess that won't sound good?
@@tomzeto Hey buddy, sorry, I saw your mess until last night. 1. When yo go from your HX unit directly into a Tube Amp input and if you are using an amp modeler such a Marshal, Diezel, Soldano or anyone, the sound of the signal will lose the "flavor" of you modeler and it will be drastically modified by the Tube Amp you are using. 2. The only way to use you Tube Amp avoiding this, is by using the FX loop, this way, you are just going to use the power and the volume of your Tube Amp, however, the sound of the power system of your Tube Amp will modify a lil bit your sound from the HX Stomp 3. If you what described in step 2, the EG and any FX in your Tube Amp will be bypassed, in order to make the FX loop way to work, besides the 2 cables (in-out from the HX unit to the FX loop), is also necessary to plug into the input of the Tube Amp a cable leaving the other end in the air, otherwise is not going to sound 4. The very best way to use and enjoy your HX Unit is with a powered cabinet, I´ve tried KC12 and many others, but nothing is even close to the Powercab 212 Plus
@@robalo61 Thanks for your feedback Robert! Appreciated it! I've wanted to get an HX stomp for a while now to replace my big line 6 m13. Don't like to haul that plus pedalboard. Currently I have my pedal board going through my fx loop on a Yamaha Soldano or Fender amp. idk IR and modelers are constantly changing. I don't know if I should get the HX stomp or XL or Kemper... wonder if I should wait... We see new modeler gear all the time now and it's getting better and better.
@@tomzeto You are right, now is getting better and better. Since I got my HX I`m absolutely happy, without a doubt the is best small unit that has almost everything and many often they improve the quality with the updates so, if you don`t need more than 8 blocks like in my case (I use with high gain amps like distortion as a booster, amp, EQ, IR, Delay, Reverb, EQ parametric and the LA 200, the last 2 with mastering purposes), for the price-size you are not going to get any better. I`ve used Kemper but the price just for the unit is almost $2 k´s, about the same cost to get both, the HX and the Powercab 212 Plus, think about it, is a great decision and you won`t regret it
@@robalo61 Thanks Robert. I love how Stomp/Helix has digital updates, just like a Tesla, so amazing. How does the HX stomp with traditional pedals to the Powercab sound? does it work/sound good together? pedals i use are wah, compressor, drives, boost, modulations delay, phaser, and boost.
Yeah I find it convenient to be able to carry my entire rig into a gig in one go. I've got three variax's too so I've got any guitar, amp, tuning and effects I want at the press of a button. I'm a slide player who used to have to carry 4 guitars with me every gig so I stopped playing live. Now I've got all the facility with none of the hassles, one guitar and it sounds awesome.
I've been checking the Helix/Powercab combo for both electric & acoustic. Electric there is tons of info, acoustic there is absolutely none. It would be nice to see you work in some acoustic setups if it is capable, if it isn't then let it be known. Thanks! EDIT: This is for Line 6, not Rhett, but if Rhett wants to help out that is cool :)
Hey I’m a pedalboard player for both acoustic and electric. I own pedalboards and amps as well as a helix and power cab plus. It is an excellent choice for acoustic. You run it in flat mode and let your acoustic guitar sing, but then switch yo you electric and let the speaker emulation do its thing. I even plug in my pedalboard into this as amp and it works when paired with a amp preamp pedal. Hell operen as just a monitor/amp for the acoustic with no pedals/helix it works.
Don’t see Rhett constantly doing that at all. Sure he has some. But he seems to genuinely like those things. I have seen more than a few RUclipsrs that push the “gear of the day” for a check… Rhett is much more reserved on his… IMO. Go for the money I cannot tell you if I would or wouldn’t advertise a product. With TV you have adds for all kinds of crap in commercials that have NOTHING to do with what the show is about. If our favorite RUclipsrs get money to advertise so they can keep making great content… and they happen to be promoting products that align with their subject matter… more power to them.
I like my Headrush with the PC when I'm doing some sort of corporate gig/wedding or just your run of the mill cover thing. For my original band and music it has to be real amps and pedals for some reason. It's a feel thing on the stuff you've written versus trying to achieve the various guitar tones of the songs you are covering. The crowd wants you to sound like the song they've heard for 40 years which all this makes sense to me but for original stuff all this modeling leaves me a bit blah. Anyone else have this opinion/feeling/bias?
I’m right with you. I’ve also gone down the modeller path for the covers band and tube amp and pedals for original stuff. My original reason for going with the modeller (full-fat Helix) was that I always seemed to need more delay pedals every time we added more covers to the setlist. As a bonus, I get to have a Fendery ‘amp’ for the really clean poppy stuff. The Twin Reverb model does the job better than the clean channel on my Marshall. The modeller setup is also great for acoustic tones. In a band where I only have to play rock and punk, I still prefer my Marshall. That said, I mostly use a digital gain pedal into it, Line 6 DM4. Moral of the story: just use whatever works.
Yes. It’s left me feeling really confused and frustrated with people bragging about selling all their tube amps. I am like, what!? Why!? Stupid bastards! And these people don’t even care. They just go on about “toan” and could give zero fucks about the exhilarating feeling that got most of us hooked in the first place.
Hi Rhett, Waiting on my line 6 112 cabinet - planning on running my HX Stomp through it, used my MF rewards points to get it, so even better yet. I still have a lot of amps & cabinets. A lifetime of chasing tones!
Hi Rhett Shull. You touch the question about solid state power amp with a modeler. I think it`s an important question as the feel of sound on stage disappears when running a modeler direct to FOH supported with IEM or regular monitoring. Often I hear from the tech that I need to turn down my amp (until it´s 99 % silent and get 1% in the monitor) that ends up playing blindfolded, and that´s no good. I´ve tried to turn the guitar rig in front on one side, and that is like when I practise at home. It works for the tech and my self, but then it`s the aesthetic. Back to the power amp issue. I´ve been doing some test with different power amps (tubes and solide state) such as Carvin T100, Marshall 20/20, Mesa 20/20, Marshall 8008 Valvestate before I got my hands on a Matrix 1500 3 channel power amp. When I run my Kemper or my former Helix without the cab block with the Matrix and a 3rd Power 2x12" with V30 and Alnico Gold it sounds and feel like an amp. I´ve sold all my tube power amps and has two Marshall 8008 (that comes close to the Matrix) because I downsize my rack with one unit and still runs w/d/w. The thing with Marshall 8008 is that you can either run it as Line or Valvestate which offers tubes feel with regular guitar speakers or flat Line for speakers as Kemper Kone when running the cab block on. The new gear from Rivera, Seymour Duncan and Fryette I haven´t got hold of, so I can´t speak of those. I haven´t tried out Line 6 Power cabs either since the local music store went out of business. I have spared me form digging down the rabbit hole of FRFR Wedges. Have you tried Matrix power amps, and/or do you have any thoughts about Matrix as a solution?
I use a pod go into 2 x Katana 100 mk11amps and run stereo. It took a little tweaking but its freaking me out how good it is. Consdering how cheap it is to run this type of rig, its crazy.
Dude that's wicked as hell. I once owned the katana artist and its a terrific amp. Ill reconsider the mkii version for an frfr solution as thats what was part of its purpose to work alongside with modelers.
I use a floor wedge behind me for my Helix on stage monitoring as well as feed a little of it's signal through my vocal wedge in front of me. The reason I use a floor wedge as my guitar monitor and not a "guitar cabinet" or Power Cab? My Helix presets are programmed specifically using that EV guitar monitoring wedge as it is full range and the most similar to an actual front of house PA which is really most important... How the audience hears my Helix through the PA is paramount. Hopefully if it sounds awesome kicking from my floor wedge, it will sound just as awesome front of house. I guess that makes sense to me. I'm new to using Helix live and have found myself really enjoying the possibilities!
Great review - I considered this setup but went with the Line 6 Firehawk 1500 instead. This has been my favorite after a long line of tube amps. The IPad interface is good enough for on the fly adjustments to patches live. It too is way loud, and has wet/dry/wet signaling through the cab. Feels real, only better with the effects. Would love to see you review it.
One thing that confuses me about the Powercab, is that it has different speaker models built into the cab, right? But if I’m feeding FOH out the back of the Helix, then the sound out front will be completely different to my Powercab on stage. So, then... do I have to feed the PC from the Helix straight from an amp model and then FOH takes a feed from the back of the PC, speaker model included?
I know it's been a while since you asked this question, but you have multiple options: 1) You could run Powercab in FRFR mode and use the IR from you Helix to both the Powercab and FOH, or 2) You could use the speaker sims (they are great!), and just send the signal from Powercab to FOH. The same sound mic'd up is sent to FOH. With Powercab plus, you can chose between 16 mic model, or 3) You could also send the sound of dial 4X12 to FOH within Helix and monitor that with a wedge or in ears, and then just let the Powercab provide some stage volume. Hope that helps. I want two 112 Powercab Plus just for fun. I've tried that setup multiple times and it's amazing for band jamming and home noodling. But I need to save for it 🙄
@@newcomer87 This is a really helpful answer. I'm mulling over ditching my current pedalboard and amp and going for the Helix and PowerCab 112 Plus. This was exactly the type of question/answer I was looking for.
@@noodlemans no problem 👍🏽 Just make sure you get send a signal that’s strong enough to get the powercab to flash yellow, that goes a long way to making it sound full and sweet. I’d suggest you try that combo and see how you like it before committing to digital, but imo Helix just keeps getting better with every update. Such a great platform that you can use in so many different applications. I love it with their new Catalyst amp as we’ll 😎
@@noodlemans no problem 👍🏽 Just make sure you get send a signal that’s strong enough to get the powercab to flash yellow, that goes a long way to making it sound full and sweet. I’d suggest you try that combo and see how you like it before committing to digital, but imo Helix just keeps getting better with every update. Such a great platform that you can use in so many different applications. I love it with their new Catalyst amp as we’ll 😎
Why would you only run your guitar (Helix) through IEM,s instead of the whole band? I recently switched from an on stage PowerCab and wedges to IEM’s. Much less to carry! And with a simple mini mixer, I use a Mackie mix5, I mix my guitar and the rest of the band to my IEM. Since our sound board only plays monitor in mono the Mackie receives a single channel from the monitor set to center and the helix in stereo into the Mackie. This way I get good separation between the band and my guitar through the IEM. What I love is no matter where I am on stage, or offstage, I get the same balance with no drop in sound from my guitar or the band. I use a Helix Rack so everything is neatly packed into a rack case and protected. Makes for easy transportation and quick set up.
Even if this is a commercial the powercab will make the Helix better. I wasn't crazy about the feel of my Helix until I got the powercab. I A/B it with my amps and it's good. You have to crank it to get the best result but that's the same with an amp.
Haven't tried the PowerCab yet, but I've used FRFR and poweramp+guitar cab. Not really sure what is conceptually different between Powercab and poweramp+guitar speaker. I understand the technical differences (Powercab supporting IRs, etc.), but if the solid state amp interacting with the speaker didn't feel right, why would the built in solid state amp interacting with the IR be better? There are a lot of very squishy descriptions in play anytime anybody talks about modeling and how it differs from a tube amp - it's so hard to understand what is really going on, and what matters and what doesn't. I may get the Powercab at some point, and then maybe I will see for myself.
I just read your comment and agree I don't think anyone really knows the difference. I run overdrives into a terror stamp (for the tube preamp) then fx loop the 500x for fx only no amp sim or cab and straight to a 2x12 cab and get compliments so... it's really just us guitar players obsessing over nothing
@Ganjang gongjangjang That might explain why one IR is better than or not better than speaker emulation. But Rhett was talking about the interaction between the ss amp and the speaker.
I play in a super loud metal band and I'm looking to replace my tube amp and 4x12. Think this would keep up with that kind of drummer? Most of our shows the only thing going through the PA is vocals, so I have to keep up with a drummer and tube half stack.
Love mine and currently run a katana Mk2 (just power amp in) as my stereo channel. Works amazingly well. But would love to just get a second PC112 instead.
Hi Rhett - First thanks for your in depth replies videos, etc. I am just starting out with Powercab and I'm wondering please, if possible, you could answer a couple of questions for using it 1) Are most presets (yours or others) when purchased from marketplace or some downloaded from custom tone created with headphones or studio monitors which I think are FRFR? 2) If so, if I tweak my presets the way I want them with the PC at home on FRFR (amps and cabs on helix), will the audience then hear what I hear from the PC if I run XLR from power cab to FOH PA? Also, I'm still confused by the PC XLR output on the other modes. - (speaker model and speaker model/natural) If I like one of those (with the cab eliminated in Helix chain), and then use PC XLR output to FOH from those modes, will the audience hear what I hear from the PC? Thanks again!!
Rhett, I have a great respect for you, it comes from your interaction and many vids with Mr./Old Master...Rick Beato who is The DUDE... MASTER... (fill in however many accolades of his awesome knowledge and experience). I have had a Helix for several years and love it. I do dig the presentation and how you understand the live analog feel of speakers and the air between guitar, amp, pickups... music is Analog and feel combined with the passing of time... I mike all of my Helix recordings and live and never have direct recorded. I have a custom built stereo wedge from my design specs with a (insert brand name here) mixer and 500w power amp to run my Helix though. Speakers put the air in motion which moves the ear. After the plandemic-1984 is over and we get to play out again, I may stroll out and take a look at the power cabs so I do not have to lug as much around since I'll probably be 60 by the time I get to playing REAL gigs again... Our lives have been stolen by autocrats.
Just curious....I'm looking at the 2x12 for my HR pedalboard. I have an FRFR112 which does the trick but as he said....it's more of a modeler being amplified rather than a guitar amp sound. I've always hated a single 12 cabinet. To my ears they always sound boxy and don't disperse enough. Is it boxy sounding at all? I'm pretty much sold on the 2x12 but I'm just curious how the 1x12 is.
I’ve played amps for years then got a fractal it sounded great at home but monitoring situations at gigs were never predictable so sold the fractal now back to real amps happy again. Great recording tools but live unless you control your monitoring system so it can be the same every gig your tone will be good sometimes and bad others but try it yourself.
That’s strange, I have a contradictory experience. Since I’ve been using the Helix and FRFR cab, one of the things I love about it is that it sounds the same every time, and sound check can be as quick as just a line check, because our FOH guy knows he’s getting exactly the same output as the last gig. I run an FRFR wedge in front of me with 2 inputs, one from the Helix and one with my monitor mix. I can control the volumes independently if I want to bring the band (or myself) up or down a little during the set, which is a godsend! My only complaint is that I’d love to have the volume controls on the front panel of the wedge and not have to reach down behind it.
Hi Rhett. I am looking at getting a Helix and one of my biggest concerns is not having a cab like I have always have had. The line6 power cab looks awesome but I would like not to have to shell out a ton of money again after buying a helix . So I would love your opinion on what I have as power amps , I have two Marshall power amps , a marshall 9200 100watt and a Marshall EL84 20/20 power amp. Do you recommend I use these power amps with 1x12 cabs or 2x12 cabs with my helix ? And how do you suggest I hook it all up together ? Thanks Cash
soforlive better then frfr like a headrush etc... but for dialling in tones from a helix would it give same value like a frfr speaker would? looking for consistant tones and tired of heavy tube amps/cabs
Hi Rhett just wondering if you could clarify the statement of "moving out of the firing line of the monitor wedge you lose all your guitar signal"? Im assuming you're talking about stepping out of the sound dispersion spread of said monitor so that you are not longer in the directional throw of the speaker? not actually losing guitar signal?
I use the powercab 112 in conjunction with my Helix in the studio. I can run my monitors loud and get the feel and interaction of an amp, by going direct from the XLR into my adat, without any spill. It's the best sound I've gotten recording because it feels like I'm onstage. I also find the feels better if you stand up.
Ok so as new user of the hx stomp and modelers in general, I'm using my hx stomp going right into the front end of my tube amp. So the effects sound good and most of the amps, with of course some tweaking sound nice. But I know to get the real experience I need a frfr type cab. That being said how does the line 6 112 power cab compared to the Headrush frfr 112, besides the price??
Have you tried connecting into ur effects loops works way better than going into the front of the amp. Just one cable main out to effects return of your tube amp and guitar into helix (or any amp modeler) It bypasses your tube preamp and goes straight into ur power amp. So your amp won’t color the sound as much like it does when u go into front of amp. one thing u need to remember is to turn off cab simulation because you’ll be using ur amps speakers. Cab simulation into a real cab sounds horrible like ur amp is covered with blankets. Anyways good luck. Btw I connected my helix into aux in with a 1/4 to 3.5mm jack adapter of any speaker in my house and it still sounded awesome my tv’s surround sound was particularly fun and this small random boom box type speaker was more enjoyable than headphone for those late night sessions. What I’m saying is don’t limit ur self to waiting till u get the perfect frfr speakers and play around with anything with an aux In you might find some jems. 😎
I like my PC+ however I do wonder why I invested in the "plus" when the normal PC is much cheaper. The idea was to use AES digital so the helix presets would change the speaker emulations in the PC+ which is one of the big perks and selling points......however.......I quickly learned that when using AES digital, the global EQ gets disabled which is a very important feature when gigging. SO I just use it as an FRFR cab and haven't used it for the speaker emu's yet. Waste of a perk since I need the crutch of the global EQ option in a pinch. The cab definitely needs a 1/4 out when running into mixers that have all the XLR inputs used up and you HAVE to use 1/4 mixer in. So you use the 1/4 out on the helix and thus losing your PC+ speaker emulations at the same time. It's just a weird setup that could be a beautiful everything you need solution. The PC+ almost nailed it.
I just purchased the normal PC myself after going back and forth with the PC+. I figured I would just run it as FRFR and use the Cabs in the Helix presets, changing them as needed for each preset. I dont plan on using any of the modeled speakers on the PC itself, gonna let the Helix do all the work. Does that make sense?
@@danc3746 Yes, my thoughts exactly. I haven't used anything on the PC+ that I couldn't get off the PC regular. I don't plan on it either, so I could have saved a few hundred bucks if I understood it better at the time of purchase. I'm with you.
Sorry dude. I think you are in left field. The idea of a modeling setup is to emulate the sound of your 12 inch speakers electronically. You are expecting to lose some of the interactivity between speaker and pickup when you go modeling. Throwing in a 12 “ cab messes up the whole idea. All you should care about is what is coming out Foh. Of course you want a stage amp for your modeled sound. The best way is through a 12” full range pa cab. A qsc cp12 is a great option. Or any higher end floor monitor - even a Yamaha dbr series is a great option.
This gets a thumbs down. Not for the Powercab. I’ve seen awesome videos about it. I just searched “Rhett Shull Powercab”, and this is the only video that came up. He does a semi regular “touring” blog, and I’ve yet to see a Powercab in any of them. If you’d like to see one in actual use send me a 112 along with an HX Effects and I’ll gig with them for the rest of the year with video, pics, and my thoughts. 3 or 4 private event gigs with and R&B horn band that mainly does fund raiser (free, by the way), some worship gigs, and maybe a couple country gigs, all around Nashville.
Since I usually leave my FRFR cab at the practice room, I’ve been running the Helix into the FX return of the Katana at home and it sounds fine for home practice and maybe even setting up effects. I feed the Katana after my amp model, but before the speaker model or IR, so that I’m not running a speaker model into a guitar speaker. Basically, from the beginning with the Helix I made all my patches with the jack outs tapped off before the speaker model (for home practice) and the XLR outs after the speaker model (for rehearsals and gigs - feeding my FRFR cab and front of house). Bear in mind that the sound can be pretty different between these setups. So if you were feeding the Katana (or whatever power amp input) for your sound, what you hear could be radically different to what you’re piping out the back of the Helix.
I really wanted to like the helix and powercab... I know I really need to spend a lot of time with it to really dig in and tweak... both times it just didn't inspire me for crunch and mid-high gane tones... just sounded and felt fake to me. I must be doing something wrong :-(
The PC112+ allows you to load impulse responses, gives you MIDI capability, and L6 link/AES digital input/out which can eliminate another stage of Analog to Digital to Analog conversion(reducing latency ETC...)
I have the same setup but I’m now thinking of having 2 PowerCabs, one on each side of the stage wired together with the Line 6 AES cable to really take advantage of the stereo effects. Have you ever thought of trying that config?
I have this setup and it's awesome. Having this with a wireless guitar setup allows you to go out in the audience area before the gig and experience and tune your stereo setup. Maybe lots of reverb on the Right side, a slight delay between sides, etc. It's the best.
FYI "tone" isn't interchangeable with "sound". Tone isn't always the right word to use and guitar players, especially on RUclips, use it farrrrrrrrrr too much. Especially at times when they should be saying sound(s). They'll say tone(s) instead. Every time. Yall need to get away from that and realize that tone isn't always the correct word to use. Yes I'm a guitar player but I just started a couple of years ago so I'm not stuck in this loop of calling everything "tone" and believing all of the unproven junk science that so many people "think" and "feel" is happening when they pluck a string on an solid-body electric guitar. Tonewood is acoustic guitar talk.
I used a Headrush FRFR for a while, and I absolutely hated it. It sounded like complete garbage, and it felt totally lifeless. Maybe I should try the Powercab one day...
I’m using the Headrush with my Helix. To me it sounds decent, good even, but I’m not in exactly love with it. It’s worth it for the convenience, for me. I’d love to try a Powercab. What other alternatives have you tried?
@@frmcf I recently acquired a Mesa 2:90 poweramp. I now use that. It's an absolutely killer setup. I just setup my patches with preamp models only, and then run it through the 2:90 and into a speaker cab.
@@mark7166 So you're still miking a cab on stage? I bet your rig sounds great, but I might be addicted to the convenience of just having the Helix and the floor wedge. 😅 Maybe for a special gig I would try something a bit more pro, like your setup! But I'm guessing you have to carry a rack and a speaker cab around?
Wow bro. I really like all the work you do and respect you so much. But honestly, this thing is a piece of garbage. I am new to Helix. I happened to have an EV 12 lying around that I used as a stage monitor and and was using that with my new Helix. But being all new to Helix and hearing how you raved about this, I bought one. I set it up exactly as instructed by the many YT vids to balance the presets so that at max volume, there was no clipping. The sound was so aweful I sent it back within the first hour. I just don't know how you can say that you can't play without this? The EV powered monitor I was using sounded 1000x better. The Powercab could not adequately sustain a note and chords sounded muddy. Digging deeper on the Helix FB groups I've discovered that many other users felt and feel the same about the Powercab. You definitely lost some of my respect for you after this. This is clearly an inferior product and you pushed it so that new Helix users would think it was absolutely needed.
Rhett you lost me on this video. I'm a big Helix user. I run it straight into my Matchless Sampson-era SC-30. You are totally lying to say that the Powercab sounds great. It's horrible and nothing like real amps. You are not being honest. Shame on you.
@Ganjang gongjangjang Hi Ganjang. I purchased the single speaker power cab and demoed it at my house for a week. I own a 90's Sampson era Matchless SC-30 which I run my Helix straight into any of the four inputs. I don't get why people are giving the Powercab such high praise. It sounds very digital. I tried all of the possible scenarios the Powercab offers. Not dissing on Line 6. I love them and think they are a fantastic company. I own a Helix and LOVE it! But the speaker cab sounds like poo. Sorry, but that's the honest truth.
You are definitely lost. The Powercab is a "powered cabinet". It does not refer to itself as an amp. Why do people use the term "real amp"? Is there such a thing as an "unreal amp". If Rhett is playing a Powercab on stage during gigs, you can bet it sounds great. Rhett has lots of amps to use, and if one sounded horrible, he wouldn't use it. I'm being honest.
@@robertmccormick1029 are you just using the Helix for effects when playing it through your Matchless? The C30 is one of the best amps of all time. I hope you're not running the amp sims through it.
@@Billywagner22 Hi Billy, happy Thanksgiving. I use everything (amps, preamps, cabinet simulators, and effects) including the straight clean sound of the Matchless. I view them all as effects and tone pedals. Yes, the Matchless sounds incredible and adds a lot to my live sound. I have A/B'd the Power Cab against it and there is absolutely no comparison against the gorgeous, fat, clean tone of the Matchless.
His equipment changes every time I see him. This pedal, that amp, this guitar, that guitar. I switched over to the Helix done with my pedals. Nothing else for me.
Yeah he gets the new sponsored flavors of the months to sell to you, ya big silly goose!
I have thought about just selling all of my Amps and pedals. I have a lot of shit. But to be honest it fucking scares me. My victory Amps sound great but even though I have a huge pedalboard that just about does it all....I still get board. Helix has been around for about 5 years now and it makes me apprehensive to get it. Surely the next greatest one will come out shortly. But if I do get one I will get the power cab as well. What do you use for speakers at home?
@@therangersinger Look at Kemper -- they have had the same Toaster amp for 10 years now. They keep releasing updates.
The recent Helix update with oversampling makes it sounds even better. Since 3.0, there is great acoustic sim and poly pitch shifting.
The Helix allows me to do everything I would ever need. I can't say the same thing about other pieces of gear I've owned previously, other processors that have that annoying 27 ms of silence when switching between presets.
Helix sounds like the real thing. I have recorded with it and gigged with it and not one person complained about it sounding digital.
If you asked me 2 years ago, if I was 100% happy with the Helix -- I'd say "no", because there was no acoustic sim back than. Or the Freeze functionality, which is a nice gimmick I could really live without. Now I honestly have not a single complaint in terms of the sounds/tweakability. There are some flaws, but I found workarounds for all of them. For example, I recently figured out how to use a dummy SEND1 block to help me see if my auto-engaged WAH-WAH is on or off.
I have a preset for every song, with snapshots for different sounds. When switching between the snapshots, there is no audio gaps. I can program my delays to spill over, assign different tap tempo to each preset, engage/disengage effects with the EXP pedal with different values of engagement... for example my wah turns off after 300 MS, but Delay turns off after a second.
The only thing I wish Helix did differently was bring back the step design for the 2nd row of buttons, the way things were on Pod HD 500X. But everybody is going for the flat design, and I doubt it'll be brought back. With some practice, I hardly ever miss-press the buttons now, but still I feel the back row should be raised more.
@@accidentals_hacks my friend. I didn't expect such an outstanding level of a response. I'll keep it short. Thank you for every letter you typed. I know when I sell everything I'll put money back in the bank. I mean hell just my automatone and large myriad fuzz being sold will bring at least $1100.....looks like I may be visiting sweetwater, then selling everything else on reverb. I might keep my tuner, wah, looper and the Strymon volante that's about it.
@@therangersinger btw for amplification I use studio monitors at home to tweak my sounds. Live I use whatever is there pretty much, just for stage volume, since I go to straight to FOH . Typically you would just go into an effects loop of an amp which necessitates using global EQ so it’s not too woofy. I have my global eq set up so it gets rid of the sub frequencies. So it’s been either on or off depending on the amp and room. For example on a Marshall stack it was off, on Fender Mustang it was on.
One time I played a show going into the input of Peavey Classic 50, because the effects loop was broken.
I also have Headrush FRFR 108 which is very popular among processor users. It’s also very boomy. It’s basically a very low weight and powerful wedge monitor that I always keep in my trunk just in case. Perfect to hear yourself on stage…. But absolutely not for dialing in your presets at home since it’s bass-heavy.
If you're using a powered PA cab with Helix, just use the Helix Global EQ.
it's an easy tweak when you change your monitors, room, etc. No need to mess with each patch, though I may include a Low/High Shelf Stereo EQ in some of my individual patches if I get frequencies I don't want.
Excellent video! You talked about all the stuff I didn't know I wanted to know. I just knew there was a lot that I wasn't getting from all the other videos I've watched about the PowerCab/Helix rig. This is incredibly insightful. Thank you!
first time i fell like this was straight up a hard SALE for a product....
I've heard good things about the powercab. However, they can still be a bit pricey in my opinion. Another alternative would be the Laney LFR112. More simpler design but still maintains its value for what it does. And of course just a tad cheaper if you need a frfr solution quickly.
It all depends on your needs of course!
How are you liking the Laney so far? is it loud enough to keep up with a very loud drummer? And do you find the weight of it bothersome when bringing it to a rehearsal/performance?
I was a hold out going digital, but after a pedalboard incident at an outdoor gig last summer, I bought a used HD500X, initially with the intention of just replacing my pedalboard and running effects only through the front of my amp.
Skipping ahead a few months and now I’m running preamp sims (with no cabs) directly into the effects return of my tube amp. This bypasses my amp’s preamp section entirely and puts the entire sound control at my feet. I think it gives me the best of both worlds.
Going further into the deep end, I bought s JTV59 Variax and use the CATV cable into the HD500X. Now, with the push of one footswitch I can change amp, effects, guitar, and guitar tuning and I don’t even need a battery in my Variax. I literally go from clean to dirty to acoustic to open tuning slide in the same set.
I recently got the Captor X and didn't think of doing this when I purchased it, but I'm sending a dry XLR out of the Captor X into the PowerCab 112 Plus and holy crap it sounds amazing!! Of course I'm also sending the other XLR to my interface and recording via Reaper. But having the amp sound in the room, this has totally changed how I feel about my older Marshall DSL40c. I don't even use the Captor X attenuation and just completely bypass the DSL's internal speaker. As a bonus, I can also XLR out of the PowerCab to my interface and record that, if I so choose. I initially bought the PowerCab for modeling and it works fantastic for that. But now I have a new use for it and I'm really pleased with it.
Love my Powercab 112Plus. Really sounds great, and it’s plenty loud. Thanks for yet another great video!
Just got the Stomp XL, and thank you Line6. Most amazing piece of gear I ever got. intuitive, easy to use, I'm sold! Got my first presets in on the first day. I've only been playing through headphones, but look forward to getting a power cab Plus! Well done Line6 and all the people involved in the HX and Helix products thanks again. I am your newest, happiest fan boy
I got my HX STOMP 18 months ago and I could never get any amp or powered speaker sound like the presets I´d created in my studio. I traveled to USA in order to buy my Line 6 Powercag 212 plus, that was the best investment that I could make, now I have exactly the tones and sounds I wanted. I use the amp modelers with imported IR´s and the stomp effects for both, distorted and clean sounds, now finally I´m 100% satisfied.
Excellent video, many thanks and cheers from Costa Rica... Pura Vida
Hi Robert, can you please explain why plugging in your HX stomp into a tube amp didn't sound right? Is it just because the tube amp has it's own EQ? couldn't you just adjust that? I have a traditional tube amp +stomp box pedal board and M13. Want to get an HX stomp for a light setup to plug into house PA. but I guess that won't sound good?
@@tomzeto Hey buddy, sorry, I saw your mess until last night.
1. When yo go from your HX unit directly into a Tube Amp input and if you are using an amp modeler such a Marshal, Diezel, Soldano or anyone, the sound of the signal will lose the "flavor" of you modeler and it will be drastically modified by the Tube Amp you are using.
2. The only way to use you Tube Amp avoiding this, is by using the FX loop, this way, you are just going to use the power and the volume of your Tube Amp, however, the sound of the power system of your Tube Amp will modify a lil bit your sound from the HX Stomp
3. If you what described in step 2, the EG and any FX in your Tube Amp will be bypassed, in order to make the FX loop way to work, besides the 2 cables (in-out from the HX unit to the FX loop), is also necessary to plug into the input of the Tube Amp a cable leaving the other end in the air, otherwise is not going to sound
4. The very best way to use and enjoy your HX Unit is with a powered cabinet, I´ve tried KC12 and many others, but nothing is even close to the Powercab 212 Plus
@@robalo61 Thanks for your feedback Robert! Appreciated it! I've wanted to get an HX stomp for a while now to replace my big line 6 m13. Don't like to haul that plus pedalboard. Currently I have my pedal board going through my fx loop on a Yamaha Soldano or Fender amp. idk IR and modelers are constantly changing. I don't know if I should get the HX stomp or XL or Kemper... wonder if I should wait... We see new modeler gear all the time now and it's getting better and better.
@@tomzeto You are right, now is getting better and better. Since I got my HX I`m absolutely happy, without a doubt the is best small unit that has almost everything and many often they improve the quality with the updates so, if you don`t need more than 8 blocks like in my case (I use with high gain amps like distortion as a booster, amp, EQ, IR, Delay, Reverb, EQ parametric and the LA 200, the last 2 with mastering purposes), for the price-size you are not going to get any better. I`ve used Kemper but the price just for the unit is almost $2 k´s, about the same cost to get both, the HX and the Powercab 212 Plus, think about it, is a great decision and you won`t regret it
@@robalo61 Thanks Robert. I love how Stomp/Helix has digital updates, just like a Tesla, so amazing. How does the HX stomp with traditional pedals to the Powercab sound? does it work/sound good together? pedals i use are wah, compressor, drives, boost, modulations delay, phaser, and boost.
Yeah I find it convenient to be able to carry my entire rig into a gig in one go. I've got three variax's too so I've got any guitar, amp, tuning and effects I want at the press of a button. I'm a slide player who used to have to carry 4 guitars with me every gig so I stopped playing live. Now I've got all the facility with none of the hassles, one guitar and it sounds awesome.
Thanks so much. Very helpful. I'm using the Headrush 108 and It's less than desirable.
I've been checking the Helix/Powercab combo for both electric & acoustic. Electric there is tons of info, acoustic there is absolutely none. It would be nice to see you work in some acoustic setups if it is capable, if it isn't then let it be known. Thanks! EDIT: This is for Line 6, not Rhett, but if Rhett wants to help out that is cool :)
Hey I’m a pedalboard player for both acoustic and electric. I own pedalboards and amps as well as a helix and power cab plus. It is an excellent choice for acoustic. You run it in flat mode and let your acoustic guitar sing, but then switch yo you electric and let the speaker emulation do its thing. I even plug in my pedalboard into this as amp and it works when paired with a amp preamp pedal. Hell operen as just a monitor/amp for the acoustic with no pedals/helix it works.
any word from line 6?
If a youtuber literally does an ad for an company, his opinions can not be considered unbiased
When a youtuber is constantly casually suggesting products he’s a nipple tweaking salesman
@Earendil's Star nipple tweaking salesman is the one I came up with, and I’ll stick to it. RUclips is a disgusting influencer pit. It used to be real.
Don’t see Rhett constantly doing that at all. Sure he has some. But he seems to genuinely like those things.
I have seen more than a few RUclipsrs that push the “gear of the day” for a check… Rhett is much more reserved on his… IMO.
Go for the money I cannot tell you if I would or wouldn’t advertise a product. With TV you have adds for all kinds of crap in commercials that have NOTHING to do with what the show is about. If our favorite RUclipsrs get money to advertise so they can keep making great content… and they happen to be promoting products that align with their subject matter… more power to them.
Dude he plugs what he believes in, and he’s honest. That’s all we need to know, go away
I just use a FRFR monitor on stage. Sounds good to me. Does what I need
Yep. Can’t stand the powercab.
I like my Headrush with the PC when I'm doing some sort of corporate gig/wedding or just your run of the mill cover thing. For my original band and music it has to be real amps and pedals for some reason. It's a feel thing on the stuff you've written versus trying to achieve the various guitar tones of the songs you are covering. The crowd wants you to sound like the song they've heard for 40 years which all this makes sense to me but for original stuff all this modeling leaves me a bit blah.
Anyone else have this opinion/feeling/bias?
I’m right with you. I’ve also gone down the modeller path for the covers band and tube amp and pedals for original stuff. My original reason for going with the modeller (full-fat Helix) was that I always seemed to need more delay pedals every time we added more covers to the setlist. As a bonus, I get to have a Fendery ‘amp’ for the really clean poppy stuff. The Twin Reverb model does the job better than the clean channel on my Marshall. The modeller setup is also great for acoustic tones.
In a band where I only have to play rock and punk, I still prefer my Marshall. That said, I mostly use a digital gain pedal into it, Line 6 DM4. Moral of the story: just use whatever works.
Yes. It’s left me feeling really confused and frustrated with people bragging about selling all their tube amps. I am like, what!? Why!? Stupid bastards!
And these people don’t even care. They just go on about “toan” and could give zero fucks about the exhilarating feeling that got most of us hooked in the first place.
Hi Rhett, Waiting on my line 6 112 cabinet - planning on running my HX Stomp through it, used my MF rewards points to get it, so even better yet. I still have a lot of amps & cabinets. A lifetime of chasing tones!
Hi Rhett Shull.
You touch the question about solid state power amp with a modeler. I think it`s an important question as the feel of sound on stage disappears when running a modeler direct to FOH supported with IEM or regular monitoring. Often I hear from the tech that I need to turn down my amp (until it´s 99 % silent and get 1% in the monitor) that ends up playing blindfolded, and that´s no good. I´ve tried to turn the guitar rig in front on one side, and that is like when I practise at home. It works for the tech and my self, but then it`s the aesthetic.
Back to the power amp issue. I´ve been doing some test with different power amps (tubes and solide state) such as Carvin T100, Marshall 20/20, Mesa 20/20, Marshall 8008 Valvestate before I got my hands on a Matrix 1500 3 channel power amp. When I run my Kemper or my former Helix without the cab block with the Matrix and a 3rd Power 2x12" with V30 and Alnico Gold it sounds and feel like an amp. I´ve sold all my tube power amps and has two Marshall 8008 (that comes close to the Matrix) because I downsize my rack with one unit and still runs w/d/w. The thing with Marshall 8008 is that you can either run it as Line or Valvestate which offers tubes feel with regular guitar speakers or flat Line for speakers as Kemper Kone when running the cab block on.
The new gear from Rivera, Seymour Duncan and Fryette I haven´t got hold of, so I can´t speak of those. I haven´t tried out Line 6 Power cabs either since the local music store went out of business. I have spared me form digging down the rabbit hole of FRFR Wedges.
Have you tried Matrix power amps, and/or do you have any thoughts about Matrix as a solution?
Agree. I was so dissatisfied with my helix until I tried it with the 1x12 powercab and then it made sense
Same here. I was running mine using a poweramp into a real cabinet. Using Preamps only. It was ok until I tried the unit in an FRFR. Whole new world.
I do have matrix fr10 and powercab 112 and powercab is so so much better if i use it via speaker emulation.
I have a matrix fr10 and tried a power cab and thought the PC sounded muffled. Do you hear the same?
I use a pod go into 2 x Katana 100 mk11amps and run stereo. It took a little tweaking but its freaking me out how good it is. Consdering how cheap it is to run this type of rig, its crazy.
I bet that sounds awesome! The stuff we can do with these rigs nowadays is mind blowing
Glenn Martin how do you switch this setup?
Dude that's wicked as hell. I once owned the katana artist and its a terrific amp. Ill reconsider the mkii version for an frfr solution as thats what was part of its purpose to work alongside with modelers.
Are you still doing this 4 months later? I considered this myself... a nice powerful katana to take to practice for use with my gigboard..
I use a floor wedge behind me for my Helix on stage monitoring as well as feed a little of it's signal through my vocal wedge in front of me. The reason I use a floor wedge as my guitar monitor and not a "guitar cabinet" or Power Cab? My Helix presets are programmed specifically using that EV guitar monitoring wedge as it is full range and the most similar to an actual front of house PA which is really most important... How the audience hears my Helix through the PA is paramount. Hopefully if it sounds awesome kicking from my floor wedge, it will sound just as awesome front of house. I guess that makes sense to me. I'm new to using Helix live and have found myself really enjoying the possibilities!
Great review - I considered this setup but went with the Line 6 Firehawk 1500 instead. This has been my favorite after a long line of tube amps. The IPad interface is good enough for on the fly adjustments to patches live. It too is way loud, and has wet/dry/wet signaling through the cab. Feels real, only better with the effects. Would love to see you review it.
Pity Line 6 has totally abandoned the FH1500. Great amp with the Helix.
One thing that confuses me about the Powercab, is that it has different speaker models built into the cab, right? But if I’m feeding FOH out the back of the Helix, then the sound out front will be completely different to my Powercab on stage.
So, then... do I have to feed the PC from the Helix straight from an amp model and then FOH takes a feed from the back of the PC, speaker model included?
I know it's been a while since you asked this question, but you have multiple options:
1) You could run Powercab in FRFR mode and use the IR from you Helix to both the Powercab and FOH, or
2) You could use the speaker sims (they are great!), and just send the signal from Powercab to FOH. The same sound mic'd up is sent to FOH. With Powercab plus, you can chose between 16 mic model, or
3) You could also send the sound of dial 4X12 to FOH within Helix and monitor that with a wedge or in ears, and then just let the Powercab provide some stage volume.
Hope that helps.
I want two 112 Powercab Plus just for fun. I've tried that setup multiple times and it's amazing for band jamming and home noodling. But I need to save for it 🙄
@@newcomer87 That was really useful! Thanks for taking the time to reply!
@@newcomer87 This is a really helpful answer. I'm mulling over ditching my current pedalboard and amp and going for the Helix and PowerCab 112 Plus. This was exactly the type of question/answer I was looking for.
@@noodlemans no problem 👍🏽 Just make sure you get send a signal that’s strong enough to get the powercab to flash yellow, that goes a long way to making it sound full and sweet.
I’d suggest you try that combo and see how you like it before committing to digital, but imo Helix just keeps getting better with every update. Such a great platform that you can use in so many different applications. I love it with their new Catalyst amp as we’ll 😎
@@noodlemans no problem 👍🏽 Just make sure you get send a signal that’s strong enough to get the powercab to flash yellow, that goes a long way to making it sound full and sweet.
I’d suggest you try that combo and see how you like it before committing to digital, but imo Helix just keeps getting better with every update. Such a great platform that you can use in so many different applications. I love it with their new Catalyst amp as we’ll 😎
Great to see you moving up in the world Rhett! Great video.
Why would you only run your guitar (Helix) through IEM,s instead of the whole band? I recently switched from an on stage PowerCab and wedges to IEM’s. Much less to carry! And with a simple mini mixer, I use a Mackie mix5, I mix my guitar and the rest of the band to my IEM. Since our sound board only plays monitor in mono the Mackie receives a single channel from the monitor set to center and the helix in stereo into the Mackie. This way I get good separation between the band and my guitar through the IEM. What I love is no matter where I am on stage, or offstage, I get the same balance with no drop in sound from my guitar or the band. I use a Helix Rack so everything is neatly packed into a rack case and protected. Makes for easy transportation and quick set up.
Even if this is a commercial the powercab will make the Helix better. I wasn't crazy about the feel of my Helix until I got the powercab. I A/B it with my amps and it's good. You have to crank it to get the best result but that's the same with an amp.
Haven't tried the PowerCab yet, but I've used FRFR and poweramp+guitar cab. Not really sure what is conceptually different between Powercab and poweramp+guitar speaker. I understand the technical differences (Powercab supporting IRs, etc.), but if the solid state amp interacting with the speaker didn't feel right, why would the built in solid state amp interacting with the IR be better? There are a lot of very squishy descriptions in play anytime anybody talks about modeling and how it differs from a tube amp - it's so hard to understand what is really going on, and what matters and what doesn't. I may get the Powercab at some point, and then maybe I will see for myself.
I just read your comment and agree I don't think anyone really knows the difference. I run overdrives into a terror stamp (for the tube preamp) then fx loop the 500x for fx only no amp sim or cab and straight to a 2x12 cab and get compliments so... it's really just us guitar players obsessing over nothing
@Ganjang gongjangjang That might explain why one IR is better than or not better than speaker emulation. But Rhett was talking about the interaction between the ss amp and the speaker.
I have a great idea. How bout a power amp integrated into a cab and if it has tubes built in even better!
For some reason these modeling enthusiasts are hell bent on demolishing proven and beloved methods. The old ways. The best way.
Thinking about powercab 112 with tonex pedal.
Rhett, I'm interested to find out if you push your IR's you made to the Powercab, or just use your IR's inside the Helix?
what about for bass what power cab would you use with say the orgin vintage bass rig. maybe philip would chime in on this to for the bass players
Iam curious how it would sound with a kemper or the neural dsp quad cortex?
Tone is subjective but Power Cab is designed to work with any modeler.
I use a power cab plus 112 with my pod go. Works perfectly. Love it
Can you use an acoustic guitar with your setup?
with the powercab do you mic it up at the gig? or do you still direct to house?
As long as I can get feedback, then I'm happy!
I play in a super loud metal band and I'm looking to replace my tube amp and 4x12. Think this would keep up with that kind of drummer? Most of our shows the only thing going through the PA is vocals, so I have to keep up with a drummer and tube half stack.
with the 2x12 version you can keep up with your bandmates
How can you update the firmware of the powercab?
Thanks so much for this video int would be great to hear more on the subject
Love mine and currently run a katana Mk2 (just power amp in) as my stereo channel. Works amazingly well. But would love to just get a second PC112 instead.
Hi Rhett - First thanks for your in depth replies videos, etc. I am just starting out with Powercab and I'm wondering please, if possible, you could answer a couple of questions for using it 1) Are most presets (yours or others) when purchased from marketplace or some downloaded from custom tone created with headphones or studio monitors which I think are FRFR? 2) If so, if I tweak my presets the way I want them with the PC at home on FRFR (amps and cabs on helix), will the audience then hear what I hear from the PC if I run XLR from power cab to FOH PA? Also, I'm still confused by the PC XLR output on the other modes. - (speaker model and speaker model/natural) If I like one of those (with the cab eliminated in Helix chain), and then use PC XLR output to FOH from those modes, will the audience hear what I hear from the PC? Thanks again!!
What was used for the intro guitar sound of this video? Absolutely love it. I need to know!!
Rhett, I have a great respect for you, it comes from your interaction and many vids with Mr./Old Master...Rick Beato who is The DUDE... MASTER... (fill in however many accolades of his awesome knowledge and experience). I have had a Helix for several years and love it. I do dig the presentation and how you understand the live analog feel of speakers and the air between guitar, amp, pickups... music is Analog and feel combined with the passing of time... I mike all of my Helix recordings and live and never have direct recorded. I have a custom built stereo wedge from my design specs with a (insert brand name here) mixer and 500w power amp to run my Helix though. Speakers put the air in motion which moves the ear. After the plandemic-1984 is over and we get to play out again, I may stroll out and take a look at the power cabs so I do not have to lug as much around since I'll probably be 60 by the time I get to playing REAL gigs again... Our lives have been stolen by autocrats.
Just curious....I'm looking at the 2x12 for my HR pedalboard. I have an FRFR112 which does the trick but as he said....it's more of a modeler being amplified rather than a guitar amp sound. I've always hated a single 12 cabinet. To my ears they always sound boxy and don't disperse enough. Is it boxy sounding at all? I'm pretty much sold on the 2x12 but I'm just curious how the 1x12 is.
I’ve played amps for years then got a fractal it sounded great at home but monitoring situations at gigs were never predictable so sold the fractal now back to real amps happy again. Great recording tools but live unless you control your monitoring system so it can be the same every gig your tone will be good sometimes and bad others but try it yourself.
That’s strange, I have a contradictory experience. Since I’ve been using the Helix and FRFR cab, one of the things I love about it is that it sounds the same every time, and sound check can be as quick as just a line check, because our FOH guy knows he’s getting exactly the same output as the last gig.
I run an FRFR wedge in front of me with 2 inputs, one from the Helix and one with my monitor mix. I can control the volumes independently if I want to bring the band (or myself) up or down a little during the set, which is a godsend! My only complaint is that I’d love to have the volume controls on the front panel of the wedge and not have to reach down behind it.
Hi Rhett.
I am looking at getting a Helix and one of my biggest concerns is not having a cab like I have always have had. The line6 power cab looks awesome but I would like not to have to shell out a ton of money again after buying a helix .
So I would love your opinion on what I have as power amps , I have two Marshall power amps , a marshall 9200 100watt and a Marshall EL84 20/20 power amp. Do you recommend I use these power amps with 1x12 cabs or 2x12 cabs with my helix ? And how do you suggest I hook it all up together ?
Thanks
Cash
soforlive better then frfr like a headrush etc... but for dialling in tones from a helix would it give same value like a frfr speaker would? looking for consistant tones and tired of heavy tube amps/cabs
So are you running in FRFR mode or are you using one of the modeled speakers. And that is the normal powercab not the plus right?
So could this be used on a bass or keys too?
I tapped through the vid really fast so I may have missed it- is he using the speaker emulations on it?
How does it hold up in the mix against another guitar player in the band with a tube amp?
speaker sims out on the modellor? Boss katana power amp in feature an option?
Can I use this power cab with my small Boss ME 25 effect pedal?
Can this Cabinet be used for bass guitar, or is it just guitar? If not. are there any powered bass cabinets that can be used with Helix or core1000?
So you run a cab on stage even when you use IEMs? Why?
Watch the vid again. It's a actual reaction between your guitar and a speaker cab that makes for a more traditional playing experience .
@@Prettynoise Yeah thanks, I worked that out. I've got a terrible habit of blurting out questions instead of listening. It's plagued me all my life😂
Is a Power Cab 112 a good way to amplify the AUX Out of a Universal Audio Apollo Twin ?
Hi Rhett just wondering if you could clarify the statement of "moving out of the firing line of the monitor wedge you lose all your guitar signal"? Im assuming you're talking about stepping out of the sound dispersion spread of said monitor so that you are not longer in the directional throw of the speaker? not actually losing guitar signal?
Yes, that's what he means.
@@mark7166 Thanks Mark , just a friendly reminder that the devils in the details cheers
I use the powercab 112 in conjunction with my Helix in the studio. I can run my monitors loud and get the feel and interaction of an amp, by going direct from the XLR into my adat, without any spill. It's the best sound I've gotten recording because it feels like I'm onstage. I also find the feels better if you stand up.
Ok so as new user of the hx stomp and modelers in general, I'm using my hx stomp going right into the front end of my tube amp. So the effects sound good and most of the amps, with of course some tweaking sound nice. But I know to get the real experience I need a frfr type cab. That being said how does the line 6 112 power cab compared to the Headrush frfr 112, besides the price??
Have you tried connecting into ur effects loops works way better than going into the front of the amp. Just one cable main out to effects return of your tube amp and guitar into helix (or any amp modeler) It bypasses your tube preamp and goes straight into ur power amp. So your amp won’t color the sound as much like it does when u go into front of amp. one thing u need to remember is to turn off cab simulation because you’ll be using ur amps speakers. Cab simulation into a real cab sounds horrible like ur amp is covered with blankets. Anyways good luck. Btw I connected my helix into aux in with a 1/4 to 3.5mm jack adapter of any speaker in my house and it still sounded awesome my tv’s surround sound was particularly fun and this small random boom box type speaker was more enjoyable than headphone for those late night sessions. What I’m saying is don’t limit ur self to waiting till u get the perfect frfr speakers and play around with anything with an aux In you might find some jems. 😎
I like my PC+ however I do wonder why I invested in the "plus" when the normal PC is much cheaper. The idea was to use AES digital so the helix presets would change the speaker emulations in the PC+ which is one of the big perks and selling points......however.......I quickly learned that when using AES digital, the global EQ gets disabled which is a very important feature when gigging. SO I just use it as an FRFR cab and haven't used it for the speaker emu's yet. Waste of a perk since I need the crutch of the global EQ option in a pinch. The cab definitely needs a 1/4 out when running into mixers that have all the XLR inputs used up and you HAVE to use 1/4 mixer in. So you use the 1/4 out on the helix and thus losing your PC+ speaker emulations at the same time. It's just a weird setup that could be a beautiful everything you need solution. The PC+ almost nailed it.
I just purchased the normal PC myself after going back and forth with the PC+. I figured I would just run it as FRFR and use the Cabs in the Helix presets, changing them as needed for each preset. I dont plan on using any of the modeled speakers on the PC itself, gonna let the Helix do all the work. Does that make sense?
@@danc3746 Yes, my thoughts exactly. I haven't used anything on the PC+ that I couldn't get off the PC regular. I don't plan on it either, so I could have saved a few hundred bucks if I understood it better at the time of purchase. I'm with you.
Yep that’s an expensive bundle of garbage they added to the +
Going stereo doesn’t matter on stage I found out. Mono is just fine.
I agree. Stereo is good if you're in a 3 piece.
Sorry dude. I think you are in left field. The idea of a modeling setup is to emulate the sound of your 12 inch speakers electronically. You are expecting to lose some of the interactivity between speaker and pickup when you go modeling. Throwing in a 12 “ cab messes up the whole idea. All you should care about is what is coming out Foh. Of course you want a stage amp for your modeled sound. The best way is through a 12” full range pa cab. A qsc cp12 is a great option. Or any higher end floor monitor - even a Yamaha dbr series is a great option.
PC + sounds thin to my ears. Suggestions?
Can you use it for bass as well?
This gets a thumbs down. Not for the Powercab. I’ve seen awesome videos about it.
I just searched “Rhett Shull Powercab”, and this is the only video that came up. He does a semi regular “touring” blog, and I’ve yet to see a Powercab in any of them. If you’d like to see one in actual use send me a 112 along with an HX Effects and I’ll gig with them for the rest of the year with video, pics, and my thoughts. 3 or 4 private event gigs with and R&B horn band that mainly does fund raiser (free, by the way), some worship gigs, and maybe a couple country gigs, all around Nashville.
Rhett is a good dude and great player.
Hi Rhett! Would the Boss Katana Mk2 Power Amp In be comparable to the Line 6 Powercab, or maybe a similar option??
Since I usually leave my FRFR cab at the practice room, I’ve been running the Helix into the FX return of the Katana at home and it sounds fine for home practice and maybe even setting up effects. I feed the Katana after my amp model, but before the speaker model or IR, so that I’m not running a speaker model into a guitar speaker.
Basically, from the beginning with the Helix I made all my patches with the jack outs tapped off before the speaker model (for home practice) and the XLR outs after the speaker model (for rehearsals and gigs - feeding my FRFR cab and front of house). Bear in mind that the sound can be pretty different between these setups. So if you were feeding the Katana (or whatever power amp input) for your sound, what you hear could be radically different to what you’re piping out the back of the Helix.
so what is your plan when your helix fails live? 2 of them? $3200 worth of gear?
I really wanted to like the helix and powercab... I know I really need to spend a lot of time with it to really dig in and tweak... both times it just didn't inspire me for crunch and mid-high gane tones... just sounded and felt fake to me. I must be doing something wrong :-(
Using stage wedges as monitors is terrible. I've been doing it for a while and they truly sound terrible.
+++ cool video like allways+++ tnx Shull
any reason why the plus over the "normal"?
The PC112+ allows you to load impulse responses, gives you MIDI capability, and L6 link/AES digital input/out which can eliminate another stage of Analog to Digital to Analog conversion(reducing latency ETC...)
@@matthewferguson2131 besides the features stuff. Loading ir ia adv if tour presents are heavy
I have the same setup but I’m now thinking of having 2 PowerCabs, one on each side of the stage wired together with the Line 6 AES cable to really take advantage of the stereo effects. Have you ever thought of trying that config?
@Mike James Pretty sure he's taking about using two 1x12 Power Cabs (not the 2x12 model) for the stereo effect.
I have this setup and it's awesome. Having this with a wireless guitar setup allows you to go out in the audience area before the gig and experience and tune your stereo setup. Maybe lots of reverb on the Right side, a slight delay between sides, etc. It's the best.
FYI "tone" isn't interchangeable with "sound". Tone isn't always the right word to use and guitar players, especially on RUclips, use it farrrrrrrrrr too much. Especially at times when they should be saying sound(s). They'll say tone(s) instead. Every time. Yall need to get away from that and realize that tone isn't always the correct word to use.
Yes I'm a guitar player but I just started a couple of years ago so I'm not stuck in this loop of calling everything "tone" and believing all of the unproven junk science that so many people "think" and "feel" is happening when they pluck a string on an solid-body electric guitar. Tonewood is acoustic guitar talk.
Oh don't worry you answered that later lol :-)
Might as well just get a Katana for on stage then and mic that
I used a Headrush FRFR for a while, and I absolutely hated it. It sounded like complete garbage, and it felt totally lifeless.
Maybe I should try the Powercab one day...
I’m using the Headrush with my Helix. To me it sounds decent, good even, but I’m not in exactly love with it. It’s worth it for the convenience, for me. I’d love to try a Powercab. What other alternatives have you tried?
@@frmcf I recently acquired a Mesa 2:90 poweramp. I now use that. It's an absolutely killer setup.
I just setup my patches with preamp models only, and then run it through the 2:90 and into a speaker cab.
@@mark7166 So you're still miking a cab on stage? I bet your rig sounds great, but I might be addicted to the convenience of just having the Helix and the floor wedge. 😅
Maybe for a special gig I would try something a bit more pro, like your setup! But I'm guessing you have to carry a rack and a speaker cab around?
@@frmcf I haven't used it live yet. If I play a gig, I'd most likely just use my Mark V and a small pedal board.
I would venture to say he prefers powercab because they pay him to say he likes the power cab 😉
Sponsorship by Line 6
Watching this video makes me feel like, Rhett sold out on us.
They’re all nipple tweaking cash farmers
Less "thoughts" on the cab, more actual playing. Are you trying to cultivate viewers of this random guy, or customers to buy the Powercab?
Wow bro. I really like all the work you do and respect you so much. But honestly, this thing is a piece of garbage. I am new to Helix. I happened to have an EV 12 lying around that I used as a stage monitor and and was using that with my new Helix. But being all new to Helix and hearing how you raved about this, I bought one. I set it up exactly as instructed by the many YT vids to balance the presets so that at max volume, there was no clipping.
The sound was so aweful I sent it back within the first hour. I just don't know how you can say that you can't play without this? The EV powered monitor I was using sounded 1000x better. The Powercab could not adequately sustain a note and chords sounded muddy. Digging deeper on the Helix FB groups I've discovered that many other users felt and feel the same about the Powercab.
You definitely lost some of my respect for you after this. This is clearly an inferior product and you pushed it so that new Helix users would think it was absolutely needed.
Stop promiting these grifters.
Rhett you lost me on this video. I'm a big Helix user. I run it straight into my Matchless Sampson-era SC-30. You are totally lying to say that the Powercab sounds great. It's horrible and nothing like real amps. You are not being honest. Shame on you.
@Ganjang gongjangjang Hi Ganjang. I purchased the single speaker power cab and demoed it at my house for a week. I own a 90's Sampson era Matchless SC-30 which I run my Helix straight into any of the four inputs. I don't get why people are giving the Powercab such high praise. It sounds very digital. I tried all of the possible scenarios the Powercab offers. Not dissing on Line 6. I love them and think they are a fantastic company. I own a Helix and LOVE it! But the speaker cab sounds like poo. Sorry, but that's the honest truth.
You are definitely lost. The Powercab is a "powered cabinet". It does not refer to itself as an amp. Why do people use the term "real amp"? Is there such a thing as an "unreal amp". If Rhett is playing a Powercab on stage during gigs, you can bet it sounds great. Rhett has lots of amps to use, and if one sounded horrible, he wouldn't use it. I'm being honest.
@@loopie007 I'm not lost. The Powercab sounds bad. That's all there is to it. Maybe I will try it again someday.
@@robertmccormick1029 are you just using the Helix for effects when playing it through your Matchless? The C30 is one of the best amps of all time. I hope you're not running the amp sims through it.
@@Billywagner22 Hi Billy, happy Thanksgiving.
I use everything (amps, preamps, cabinet simulators, and effects) including the straight clean sound of the Matchless. I view them all as effects and tone pedals. Yes, the Matchless sounds incredible and adds a lot to my live sound. I have A/B'd the Power Cab against it and there is absolutely no comparison against the gorgeous, fat, clean tone of the Matchless.