Ok, here are the results! Sorry I couldn't talk about these in the video but I was very busy with my studio (installing new PC and moving stuff around). Note that I only counted the votes/guesses underneath the original video at around 1.15 PM Dutch time. I didn't count any half guesses. Make of these results what you will :) Friedman - Helix - Axe Fx 22 Friedman - Axe Fx - Helix 44 Helix - Friedman - Axe Fx 41 Helix - Axe Fx - Friedman 23 Axe Fx - Friedman - Helix 32 Axe Fx - Helix - Friedman 19 22 guessed the correct combination! 66 of you thought A was the real amp. 64 of you thought the Helix was the amp 51 of you thought the Axe Fx was the amp As always, thanks for watching and guessing, I really appreciate it! Please like, comment and come back for more! Cheers! Jon
If I'm reading things right, in the list of guessed orders, Line 3 & 5 are the Helix mistaken for Friedman, 41+32=73, not 64 (which appears to be the people who thought the amp was the Helix) and Line 4 & 6 are Axe-Fx mistaken for Friedman, 23+19=42 rather than 51 (Which appears to be the number of people who thought the amp was the Axe-Fx). [Whichever set of numbers is which, the amp mistaken for device vs device mistaken for amp numbers are interesting.] Another interesting statistic is the number of people who guessed correctly on each. 66 identified the amp correctly, 63 correctly identified the Axe-Fx, but only 41 correctly identified the Helix. All of this out of a total of 181 responses.
What a great time to be a guitar player! All three really sounded great. Jon’s skill and quality IRs made this very difficult to guess for sure. Fun times!
I think your channel has the absolute best demos, reviews, and comparisons. In this case I'm utterly convinced that I don't need anything more than a helix to do everything I need, which is excellent because hauling amps and cabinets around is hell on my back!
I got the amp right but confused the modellers. I dont have experience w those so kinda makes sense. But this was so informative. The differences were so subtle that it would be hard to argue for one over another in a full mix. Certainly am proud of my ears for hitting on the right amp but really it was more gut than anything. Thx so much for doing this! Love it.
I got the Helix and Axe FX wrong. Man! The Helix really catched up with Axe FX, and I even think it sounds a bit better. Also in your previous videos. Again this helps making decide which unit I should go for, and I actually had many line6 units (PODS, POD HDs) already, so I have a weak spot for them. Thanks for making these videos!
The AXE FX had something cool going on in the high end, but it was super subtle. Nobody would notice at a show. If anything, this makes me love my Helix even more. Great video!
Super surprised with the results! Especially the Helix; on my Airpod Pros, the sound had a lot of weight and girth that I would expect a real amp to have. Well done once again!
Maaaaaannn, I just bought the York Audio Friedman pack and use it with your Helix settings and it sounds awesome, just added some adriatic delay and dynamic hall reverb for solos. Love it.
Honnestly, these blind tests really show how important the speaker is. Yes the models are great and totally record worthy but the speaker does SO much tone shaping that a good amp model will get you extremely close. Great stuff!
I surprisingly guessed this one right! I think that came down to how familiar I am with the sound of the Helix version lol I really think it's the best sounding model in the Helix
Love your videos Jon! Excellent material, and funny too :) If I could make a suggestion for the next blind test, I'd try and go with a real cab and mic and see if more of the nuances between amp and modellers come out. This one was too close to call to my ears, and the doubt remains if the speaker simulation made it all sound the same of if they actually sounded the same. Cheers! M.
Dam IT, again I pick the Helix over my beloved Axe-Fx. I think it's because it sounded a little darker (just like the last blind) and I love the dark tone. These were so close this blind.
... another great comparision between tube and modeling ... I also did my own comparisons and I always come to the conclusion that the amp modeling today is so close to the tube amps that in terms of sound feel it is absolutely possible to record and gig with the modelers and in terms of practicability the modelers have tons of advantages ... everyday I appreciate that with the Pod Go and Helix native in my studio I have an complete great sounding rig direct at my fingertips ... and I also always have to think back to the 80s where I used to carry around a real racksystem with a Mesa Boogie Quad Preamp and a big tube poweramp ... :)
Your a wizard. I can't get my helix to sound as good as you do. Have been contemplating selling it for a SECOND time, so thanks for the settings. I'm going to the York Audio website and downloading that cab pack for another trt at the Helix.
Another important thing of the gigantic sound is "doubling guitars". When choosing a Helix sound and only playing around, it will never be comparable. Third thing is "sound in the mix", so only compare the guitar only tracks :-D But I have to admit, my recorded doubled guitar also never sounded that good.
All surprisingly close - esp the Helix to the AFX III. There is definitely a bit more texture and definition in the sound from the real amp - though it was much harder to spot in the full mix.
You’re amazing Jon! I’ve watched EVERY SINGLE VIDEO you’ve put out and I’m always amazed at how great your production skills and playing really are! 🔥🔥🔥 Thanks for the videos Jon! And all the help and hard work too!!! Best! ✌🏼
The fact that most guessed right for A just prove that the amp is still the king. It's pretty apparent when playing chords on high gain (note definition). Good job modelers, see ya in 5 years! (and yes I own both a tube amp & FM3).
No, not quite for two reasons. 1. The question posed was “what do you think produced tones A,B, & C?” not “What tone of the three do you prefer?” That question would have told us what people thought was king. 2. 64 people thought the Helix was the real amp compared to 66 for Freidman. That’s a statistically small difference that is close enough to be an near tie. This is further complicated when you look at total votes. 66 people thought the Freidman was the real amp, but 105 people thought the Helix or AxeFx was. 59% more people thought the modelers were the real thing! That shows modelers are at the level where they are near indistinguishable from the real thing.
I got the real amp correct but switched the modelers. I just got on the modeler train this past month with a hx stomp and for sure impressed that they can get this close. Cheers Jon
A, then C, then B is how I had them pegged in the first video. At first I had C, then A, then B, but by the end I switched it up, but it was so close. B was noticeably the worst from the beginning and the difference between B and C is greater, IMO, than the difference between C and A. Nevertheless, the Helix was "good enough" to me and really was so close. I have two Axe Fx units, and won't be changing any time soon. I got rid of all my big tube amps and I only keep 5-20 watt amps for small gigs where it's still nice to dime an amp on stage.
Great Demo. Would love to see you use a real cab and mic it to compare. in my experience the real cabs and mics sound better compared to IRs. Having said that the ease of using the modern amp modellers has never been better than now.
I guessed C as the real amp. I got all the JCM800 ones right though, but also liked the fractal most for that one - whatever processing its doing sounds good to me. Maybe the digital model of a poweramp into a digital IR gives a more accurate representation than inserting a loadbox between a real amp and IR (and therefore adding some of the dynamic effect/colouration of the loadbox). They all sound close/good enough to use whichever suits your playing/workflow preferences best though.
Thank you for this! I will save a fortune on amps in the future. I'm leaning toward getting the Line 6 Helix Floor with the 2x12 Power Cab Plus. I feel that if I spend the time to learn how to really make that work, I won't need much else. More money for guitars and other gear! ;-)
Would love for you to do a shootout of the between the helix amps for metal. Their is a lot of people who got or will get a helix for the holidays. A shootout of the amps would be awesome. (You can do the same video for the axe affects as well)
I consistently preferred A, C, then B--in that order. Turns out, it was exactly as I would have expected. But all sounded very good in a mix especially.
Very nicely done video and playing and tones. However, my only concern with test like this is that to me the “bottleneck” is the IR. All 3 devices are running through the same IR and I understand why. But to me the glorious thing about a real tube amp is running it through real speakers and pushing air into a mic. So I would love to see a test like this done where each device was actually recorded through a real cabinet and a real mic. Let the amp do it’s thing and then let the fractal and Helix run through a power amp into yeh same cabinet with the same mic. Or for purists find an amp with a line in and run the fractal and helix into the line in so amp power section is the same for all three devices.
This was a lot of fun keep’em coming Jon. So amazing how the modelers work in the mix as good as any amp if I might say, and mind you this coming from a tube amp guy.
Got the amp right but mixed the modelers like many of us seemed to do. I have an HX Stomp myself and love the Friedman model. Any chance you'd be able to share the Helix preset?
has anyone tested the axe fx 3 live with like, heavy rock or metal while being amongst members with high end tube amps? I am just wondering if your sound would get completely lost in it. I have had people using digital floor pod setups and stuff with their amps and whenever they tried those, it was like they were whispering once everyone else started playing. very thin whether they were lead or not. primarily when it was heavy rock and metal. if anyone knows, please let me know. The idea of switching to a rack setup for touring and such seems so convenient not to mention the ease of experimenting with tone.
Sound very similar this method. I cannot get past the sound in person though. My amp through a cab sounds so much better than my axe fx through monitors or even a cab.
I don't know. I had the helix stomp for 10 days and I was never able to recreate the sounds/tones based on settings given by others on youtube. They always sounded bad while great on youtube demos. Moreover, the helix had bad noise-floor. Then I bought the torpedo captor (attenuator) with wall of sound (plugin), and the noise-floor is unnoticeable. The sound is very ok without any tweaking = no matter what the EQ is. No tweaking by 0.1% like they do in helix. It just sounds good out of the box. [I'm a total amateur so maybe I cannot make it work...]
Is there any measurable difference in "feel" with a real amp vs modelers, playing both into a reactive load? I really want to justify owning a real amp again, but realistically I'd be playing it mostly into a load, and I wonder how different it would be from my axefx at the end of the day.
I should create a list of Fractal models that fall short of the real amp. All the while I’ve been conditioned to think Line 6 sucks; I’ve owned both a Flextone and an HD500 and have found them underwhelming so I figured C was the Helix. A and B sounded really close to my ears but I gave the edge to A because it was fatter and sounded fuller to me. But to be honest, I didn’t know which was the real amp.
They all sound very similar, not quite identical, very minor differences, but differences nonetheless. I would have never guessed correctly, but as it turns out I prefer the Helix, which is a great job there considering that's what I have already. lol
I preferred A so interesting to see it’s the amp. I preferred B to C but was surprised C was Fractal as I would have guess Helix due to having a little less bass.
So i was one of the 22, what i heard was, just very microscopic differences, the first one was the sound i expect, with some interesting sparcle and hi end, the second and third were different in that hi end but the third one was a little bit "polished sound" and this is the same sensation i have in any axe fx 3 test. Probably i was lucky but i was guided from a sensation i have very often in this kind of tests.
Interesting. I knew the first was the real Amp. But I went back and forth on the B and C. I am very sensitive to the nasally sound digital amps can have. Boss pedals and Line 6 being the worst. But with the Helix, Line 6 really closed the gap. The fact that I expected going back and forth between the Helix and the Axe fx is testimony to that. That being said, the difference between not only those two being so minute, but all three of them ne8ng so close, there is no way in hell you could tell the modelers from the real Amp without them playing side by side with the real one.
And... I was wrong lol. I mainly went by the fact that A and C sounded the most similar, especially in the high end, so I assumed they were both the modelers.
Great video! I'm curious though, why did you have the master on the amp so low? Doesn't it sound better when the power tubes are pushed harder? Does it have to do with the load box? Thanks
They're amazing pieces of gear. I bout my Axe Fx 3 this time last year and can honestly say that I haven't bought one pedal or amp since. I haven't had the slight case of GAS at all.
Got the AMP right. There was definitely some dynamic and thump. The modellers had less of that dynamic between the hi and lows. However, I couldn't differentiate between the modellers. Great comparison video. Thank you for confirming that I want the real thing.
Crazy! I thought FOR SURE it was: A. Fractal B. Friedman C. Helix A and B were nearly identical, except there was a little more mid in B, and at times it sounded a bit muffled. My preference was for B, because to me it sounded like a miked up REAL amp. I was certain C was the Helix. Why? Because I own one, and I heard a very obvious high end ear fatiguing sound on C. Though you CAN eq-out this frequency on the Helix, it IS present all the time on stock patches unless you remove it. I couldn’t BELIEVE C was the Fractal! I had always been told that out of all the top tier modelers (except for the Kemper,) that ONLY the Fractal was devoid of that sort of obnoxious high frequency/digital aliasing (?) sound. It just goes to show that the Helix, Axe, Kemper, Quad Cortex, etc, are only as good as the person who PROGRAMS them. I’m fairly convinced now that aside from “dynamic feel”, all the top tier modelers can sound as good as a tube amp.
I had those same guesses because I thought at moments, B was a bit more muffled and subdued, usually a real amp. The modelers are usually brash and infinite presence.
I must say I’m driven by the hype with Fractal. Whatever I choose for the real amp sound, then I’m going to put the helix in the end. Like saying: this is the worst of three, it must be helix. I was wrong. It was Fractal. And I own a Fractal FM3
“Hype” wouldn’t be the first word I’d of used… I own all the Fractals AX8, AXE FXIII, FM9 (on the way) Helix (floor Flagship model) and Kemper floor. Had the Quad Cortex (they’re not finished with QC) which I ended up selling, but no “Hype” for me, just real world application. The modelers are terrific for recording and that’s pretty much all I use now for recording, but live use will always be a tube amp out of my arsenal and I have many to choose from, from 1965 to present day. Best! ✌🏼
grest vid.. they all sounded great..but im a tube head guy so ill stick w my marshall heads... no need for modellers of any sort when you have the real thing
So. I bought a Helix Stomp, the FDNM Yorkaudio and it doesn't sound exactly like this. I WANT MY MONEY BACK! 🤣 just jokin Doubling guitars has a huge impact, don't have my DAW ready due to lone hiatus. But all in all my sound is very satisfying, tho the sound in the video is way more airy and mine is a little bit like a can. I don't think that the guitar is the factor, maybe you have a little bit of magic making the sound more airy. Slate digital, Low Pass filter etc. like in your "HUGE metal guitar tones" video. All in all your blind test videos are F A N T A S T I C, cause it shows how close modern amp sims are when having a good IR. The Friedman and "Huge Metal Tone (Badonk) " I created from your videos are waaaaaay better than every default preset. I go on with the 6505, that tone you created is astonishing. Haha, I also learned some of your riffs, also "big cinema" as we say in Germany 😋
Well, I said I preferred the amp the least…. That’s, um, innerestin’. I was definitely listening for the widest differences, and for which sounded more dynamic and cutting. Maybe the modelers are more of a ‘hyped’ rendition of ‘reality?’ Either way-good to know/feel/believe I don’t need an insane-loud, $3,000 amp to do my little home/recording BS.
Whatever you heard, IMO, there is no comparison between a helix and the real amp when it comes to amplifying semihollows with PAFs, like an es335. And I've tweeked every kind of parameter on a helix, hidden or not since they first came out. Most tube amps designed since Leo's Fenders, also, were not, to my ears, voiced with es335s in mind but in a different way. For the video maker to ascert the helix was close to the real thing makes me doubt the Fractal would be either for an es335. I have no desire to play a strat or LP; they don’t fit my playing styles. I do admit, though, that using a long chain of filters, impediance adjustments, equalizing, serial modeled amps all output to the best acoustic amp and from there to the front end of a very neutral 80 watt (jazz) tube amp designed in the late 50's (not a bassman), I do get usable tones out of the helix. For practice, i plug my helix into the backend of the best acoustic amp.
I can't believe I was right, they were soooo close. Probably if I weren't listening to them through studio monitors I wouldn't have been able to tell any sort of difference, but the JJ sounded 'rounder' with more pleasing transients than the other two. The Helix sounded just a little bit flat compared to the Axe FX, and knowing that I generally prefer Axe FX models to Helix, I just went ahead and guessed that B was the Helix and C was the Axe FX.
C>A>B for me. JJ Jr sounds less, weaker and smaller than both modelers. Real amps don't always win, but I think Friedman BE-100 is a better competitor for a fair comparison. Helix sounds fuller than JJ Jr, but I don't like the frequency response of Helix that sounds muffled.
They were all really close, I couldn't tell which was which. The only impression I came away with after the first listen was that I liked B the least, C the most...though A was very close. Just reaffirming my want for an axe III lol.
Ok, here are the results! Sorry I couldn't talk about these in the video but I was very busy with my studio (installing new PC and moving stuff around). Note that I only counted the votes/guesses underneath the original video at around 1.15 PM Dutch time. I didn't count any half guesses. Make of these results what you will :)
Friedman - Helix - Axe Fx 22
Friedman - Axe Fx - Helix 44
Helix - Friedman - Axe Fx 41
Helix - Axe Fx - Friedman 23
Axe Fx - Friedman - Helix 32
Axe Fx - Helix - Friedman 19
22 guessed the correct combination!
66 of you thought A was the real amp.
64 of you thought the Helix was the amp
51 of you thought the Axe Fx was the amp
As always, thanks for watching and guessing, I really appreciate it! Please like, comment and come back for more! Cheers! Jon
If I'm reading things right, in the list of guessed orders, Line 3 & 5 are the Helix mistaken for Friedman, 41+32=73, not 64 (which appears to be the people who thought the amp was the Helix) and Line 4 & 6 are Axe-Fx mistaken for Friedman, 23+19=42 rather than 51 (Which appears to be the number of people who thought the amp was the Axe-Fx). [Whichever set of numbers is which, the amp mistaken for device vs device mistaken for amp numbers are interesting.]
Another interesting statistic is the number of people who guessed correctly on each. 66 identified the amp correctly, 63 correctly identified the Axe-Fx, but only 41 correctly identified the Helix.
All of this out of a total of 181 responses.
Do you list your Helix patches online? I would love to know your settings for this one.
@@762nato1 Did you even watch the video? It's at 6:22.
Nice one. It is amazing how well these digital modelers capture the amp tone. Either of the 3 would be perfectly satisfactory on stage or in studio.
What a great time to be a guitar player! All three really sounded great. Jon’s skill and quality IRs made this very difficult to guess for sure.
Fun times!
I think your channel has the absolute best demos, reviews, and comparisons.
In this case I'm utterly convinced that I don't need anything more than a helix to do everything I need, which is excellent because hauling amps and cabinets around is hell on my back!
I got the amp right but confused the modellers. I dont have experience w those so kinda makes sense. But this was so informative. The differences were so subtle that it would be hard to argue for one over another in a full mix. Certainly am proud of my ears for hitting on the right amp but really it was more gut than anything. Thx so much for doing this! Love it.
That was fun John! All three tones sounded awesome and you’re riffing and song writing was a blast to listen to as always!
I got the Helix and Axe FX wrong. Man! The Helix really catched up with Axe FX, and I even think it sounds a bit better. Also in your previous videos. Again this helps making decide which unit I should go for, and I actually had many line6 units (PODS, POD HDs) already, so I have a weak spot for them. Thanks for making these videos!
Your guitar playing is awesome Jon - your video's and demo's and shoot outs are top notch - thanks so much
The AXE FX had something cool going on in the high end, but it was super subtle. Nobody would notice at a show. If anything, this makes me love my Helix even more. Great video!
Super surprised with the results! Especially the Helix; on my Airpod Pros, the sound had a lot of weight and girth that I would expect a real amp to have. Well done once again!
Maaaaaannn, I just bought the York Audio Friedman pack and use it with your Helix settings and it sounds awesome, just added some adriatic delay and dynamic hall reverb for solos. Love it.
Well done, mate! good song and mix! I'm happy that I pointed helix as the one I liked the least :)
Honnestly, these blind tests really show how important the speaker is. Yes the models are great and totally record worthy but the speaker does SO much tone shaping that a good amp model will get you extremely close. Great stuff!
I surprisingly guessed this one right! I think that came down to how familiar I am with the sound of the Helix version lol I really think it's the best sounding model in the Helix
Love your videos Jon! Excellent material, and funny too :)
If I could make a suggestion for the next blind test, I'd try and go with a real cab and mic and see if more of the nuances between amp and modellers come out. This one was too close to call to my ears, and the doubt remains if the speaker simulation made it all sound the same of if they actually sounded the same. Cheers! M.
Dam IT, again I pick the Helix over my beloved Axe-Fx. I think it's because it sounded a little darker (just like the last blind) and I love the dark tone. These were so close this blind.
... another great comparision between tube and modeling ... I also did my own comparisons and I always come to the conclusion that the amp modeling today is so close to the tube amps that in terms of sound feel it is absolutely possible to record and gig with the modelers and in terms of practicability the modelers have tons of advantages ... everyday I appreciate that with the Pod Go and Helix native in my studio I have an complete great sounding rig direct at my fingertips ... and I also always have to think back to the 80s where I used to carry around a real racksystem with a Mesa Boogie Quad Preamp and a big tube poweramp ... :)
Your a wizard. I can't get my helix to sound as good as you do. Have been contemplating selling it for a SECOND time, so thanks for the settings. I'm going to the York Audio website and downloading that cab pack for another trt at the Helix.
I feel you. I can't get my Helix to ever sound as good as he does. I would totally buy presets from him.
Another important thing of the gigantic sound is "doubling guitars". When choosing a Helix sound and only playing around, it will never be comparable.
Third thing is "sound in the mix", so only compare the guitar only tracks :-D But I have to admit, my recorded doubled guitar also never sounded that good.
I picked the amp as C, which is awesome because i love the current gen AXE FX!!! Great job mate!! 👍
All surprisingly close - esp the Helix to the AFX III. There is definitely a bit more texture and definition in the sound from the real amp - though it was much harder to spot in the full mix.
You’re amazing Jon!
I’ve watched EVERY SINGLE VIDEO you’ve put out and I’m always amazed at how great your production skills and playing really are! 🔥🔥🔥
Thanks for the videos Jon! And all the help and hard work too!!!
Best! ✌🏼
As usual, sick riffs Jon.
The fact that most guessed right for A just prove that the amp is still the king. It's pretty apparent when playing chords on high gain (note definition). Good job modelers, see ya in 5 years! (and yes I own both a tube amp & FM3).
No, not quite for two reasons.
1. The question posed was “what do you think produced tones A,B, & C?” not “What tone of the three do you prefer?” That question would have told us what people thought was king.
2. 64 people thought the Helix was the real amp compared to 66 for Freidman. That’s a statistically small difference that is close enough to be an near tie.
This is further complicated when you look at total votes. 66 people thought the Freidman was the real amp, but 105 people thought the Helix or AxeFx was.
59% more people thought the modelers were the real thing!
That shows modelers are at the level where they are near indistinguishable from the real thing.
I got the real amp correct but switched the modelers. I just got on the modeler train this past month with a hx stomp and for sure impressed that they can get this close. Cheers Jon
I've got it wrong, I'm among the 41 that voted Helix - Friedman - Axe Fx. Good job as always, man.
Yaaaaas, my guess was right on all the 3 sounds :))
I'm proud of my ears right now :)
A, then C, then B is how I had them pegged in the first video. At first I had C, then A, then B, but by the end I switched it up, but it was so close. B was noticeably the worst from the beginning and the difference between B and C is greater, IMO, than the difference between C and A. Nevertheless, the Helix was "good enough" to me and really was so close. I have two Axe Fx units, and won't be changing any time soon. I got rid of all my big tube amps and I only keep 5-20 watt amps for small gigs where it's still nice to dime an amp on stage.
Great Demo. Would love to see you use a real cab and mic it to compare. in my experience the real cabs and mics sound better compared to IRs. Having said that the ease of using the modern amp modellers has never been better than now.
well, if B&C are modelers, then at least for recording, you really know how to get these units sounding incredible. nice work, you got me fooled
I guessed C as the real amp.
I got all the JCM800 ones right though, but also liked the fractal most for that one - whatever processing its doing sounds good to me.
Maybe the digital model of a poweramp into a digital IR gives a more accurate representation than inserting a loadbox between a real amp and IR (and therefore adding some of the dynamic effect/colouration of the loadbox).
They all sound close/good enough to use whichever suits your playing/workflow preferences best though.
Thank you for this! I will save a fortune on amps in the future. I'm leaning toward getting the Line 6 Helix Floor with the 2x12 Power Cab Plus. I feel that if I spend the time to learn how to really make that work, I won't need much else. More money for guitars and other gear! ;-)
Would love for you to do a shootout of the between the helix amps for metal. Their is a lot of people who got or will get a helix for the holidays. A shootout of the amps would be awesome. (You can do the same video for the axe affects as well)
Damn, I thought for sure I was right. Great series. Thanks
I consistently preferred A, C, then B--in that order. Turns out, it was exactly as I would have expected. But all sounded very good in a mix especially.
Fractal has some kind of spatial thing going.
Whichever one you own, if that's your sound there's no reason to move to one of the others.
Very nicely done video and playing and tones.
However, my only concern with test like this is that to me the “bottleneck” is the IR.
All 3 devices are running through the same IR and I understand why. But to me the glorious thing about a real tube amp is running it through real speakers and pushing air into a mic.
So I would love to see a test like this done where each device was actually recorded through a real cabinet and a real mic.
Let the amp do it’s thing and then let the fractal and Helix run through a power amp into yeh same cabinet with the same mic.
Or for purists find an amp with a line in and run the fractal and helix into the line in so amp power section is the same for all three devices.
Most tube swaps, beit preamp, power tubes have as large an impact as the differences I hear… ergo, IDC! Awesome vid though, and thank you sir!
This was a lot of fun keep’em coming Jon. So amazing how the modelers work in the mix as good as any amp if I might say, and mind you this coming from a tube amp guy.
have you demo'd the new PRS Archon 50 watt with the 6CA7 power tubes - would like to see your opinion on that new amp
All of them sound great, well done
Got the amp right but mixed the modelers like many of us seemed to do. I have an HX Stomp myself and love the Friedman model. Any chance you'd be able to share the Helix preset?
has anyone tested the axe fx 3 live with like, heavy rock or metal while being amongst members with high end tube amps? I am just wondering if your sound would get completely lost in it. I have had people using digital floor pod setups and stuff with their amps and whenever they tried those, it was like they were whispering once everyone else started playing. very thin whether they were lead or not. primarily when it was heavy rock and metal. if anyone knows, please let me know. The idea of switching to a rack setup for touring and such seems so convenient not to mention the ease of experimenting with tone.
What post processing on the axe fx track did you do ? It sounds so real, big and amazing.
I just got Right the C, instead i switched Helix and real amp! Still freaking interesting and very nice results!
Sound very similar this method. I cannot get past the sound in person though. My amp through a cab sounds so much better than my axe fx through monitors or even a cab.
I don't know. I had the helix stomp for 10 days and I was never able to recreate the sounds/tones based on settings given by others on youtube. They always sounded bad while great on youtube demos. Moreover, the helix had bad noise-floor. Then I bought the torpedo captor (attenuator) with wall of sound (plugin), and the noise-floor is unnoticeable. The sound is very ok without any tweaking = no matter what the EQ is. No tweaking by 0.1% like they do in helix. It just sounds good out of the box. [I'm a total amateur so maybe I cannot make it work...]
Is there any measurable difference in "feel" with a real amp vs modelers, playing both into a reactive load? I really want to justify owning a real amp again, but realistically I'd be playing it mostly into a load, and I wonder how different it would be from my axefx at the end of the day.
Could you share with us the presets you use for your blind test videos?
Nice Job! Im curious on the CAB setting for the AXEFXIII. How did you try to match this with the reactive load/IR setup of the real amp?
Great job on the videos!
Love this video. And, yes, I got it all wrong. They all sound great. Is your fractal patch available anywhere?
I should create a list of Fractal models that fall short of the real amp. All the while I’ve been conditioned to think Line 6 sucks; I’ve owned both a Flextone and an HD500 and have found them underwhelming so I figured C was the Helix. A and B sounded really close to my ears but I gave the edge to A because it was fatter and sounded fuller to me. But to be honest, I didn’t know which was the real amp.
How would you tweak the Axe Fx to get closer to the JBE mode? Would love some input on that front. And yet again thanks for a sick video :)
They all sound very similar, not quite identical, very minor differences, but differences nonetheless. I would have never guessed correctly, but as it turns out I prefer the Helix, which is a great job there considering that's what I have already. lol
I preferred A so interesting to see it’s the amp. I preferred B to C but was surprised C was Fractal as I would have guess Helix due to having a little less bass.
So i was one of the 22, what i heard was, just very microscopic differences, the first one was the sound i expect, with some interesting sparcle and hi end, the second and third were different in that hi end but the third one was a little bit "polished sound" and this is the same sensation i have in any axe fx 3 test. Probably i was lucky but i was guided from a sensation i have very often in this kind of tests.
Thank you. Great vid as awlays
Interesting. I knew the first was the real Amp. But I went back and forth on the B and C. I am very sensitive to the nasally sound digital amps can have. Boss pedals and Line 6 being the worst. But with the Helix, Line 6 really closed the gap.
The fact that I expected going back and forth between the Helix and the Axe fx is testimony to that.
That being said, the difference between not only those two being so minute, but all three of them ne8ng so close, there is no way in hell you could tell the modelers from the real Amp without them playing side by side with the real one.
And... I was wrong lol. I mainly went by the fact that A and C sounded the most similar, especially in the high end, so I assumed they were both the modelers.
Hey Jon, do you sell any preset packs (to use with York IR for example) for Helix that can be used on Pod Go? Your sounds are awesome in the mix
Hey John how would you create this on a GT-1000 (core)? Love the JJ sound
I here meshuggah chaosphere influence..the end riffs
b seemed like a virtual amp, but A and C seemed both like real amp
Hey dude. Would you be able share the preset or settings for the Line 6 Helix tone here?
Amazing!
I was totally wrong.
A - Helix, B - 6505, C- Axe FX (Now on to your reveal video for humble pie) LOL
Great video! I'm curious though, why did you have the master on the amp so low? Doesn't it sound better when the power tubes are pushed harder? Does it have to do with the load box? Thanks
Wow...I was right. They all sound great.
I got the Helix and Axe Fx backwards which is kind of embarrassing because I play the Placater model on my Pod Go all the time.
can u pls do a Marshall jcm800 like this pls!! I really enjoyed this one
Already did
@@JN-qj9gf ohh sorry ..I went through the playlist I couldn’t find it .
Yup I was completely wrong lol just makes me want a helix or Axefx even more though
They're amazing pieces of gear. I bout my Axe Fx 3 this time last year and can honestly say that I haven't bought one pedal or amp since. I haven't had the slight case of GAS at all.
Hell yes!
Well the only thing I was fairly confident about was that A was the actual JJ amp so at least I was right about that.
Got the AMP right. There was definitely some dynamic and thump. The modellers had less of that dynamic between the hi and lows. However, I couldn't differentiate between the modellers. Great comparison video. Thank you for confirming that I want the real thing.
Crazy!
I thought FOR SURE it was:
A. Fractal
B. Friedman
C. Helix
A and B were nearly identical, except there was a little more mid in B, and at times it sounded a bit muffled.
My preference was for B, because to me it sounded like a miked up REAL amp.
I was certain C was the Helix. Why? Because I own one, and I heard a very obvious high end ear fatiguing sound on C. Though you CAN eq-out this frequency on the Helix, it IS present all the time on stock patches unless you remove it.
I couldn’t BELIEVE C was the Fractal! I had always been told that out of all the top tier modelers (except for the Kemper,) that ONLY the Fractal was devoid of that sort of obnoxious high frequency/digital aliasing (?) sound.
It just goes to show that the Helix, Axe, Kemper, Quad Cortex, etc, are only as good as the person who PROGRAMS them.
I’m fairly convinced now that aside from “dynamic feel”, all the top tier modelers can sound as good as a tube amp.
I had those same guesses because I thought at moments, B was a bit more muffled and subdued, usually a real amp. The modelers are usually brash and infinite presence.
Can you speak to the difference in feel?
That’s where the Helix completely falls apart🤮
@@rastadarrin Except it doesn't.
Insanity 😎🤘
I was right but I cheated, I have the helix and the jj junior lol. All three sound awesome.
okay but.. Does the sound is the same just caus you are using same IR impulse?..
No
I actually guessed correct..... well, i could tell which was the Helix lol. I guessed B as the Helix its always a little darker/muffled.
I must say I’m driven by the hype with Fractal. Whatever I choose for the real amp sound, then I’m going to put the helix in the end. Like saying: this is the worst of three, it must be helix. I was wrong. It was Fractal. And I own a Fractal FM3
“Hype” wouldn’t be the first word I’d of used…
I own all the Fractals AX8, AXE FXIII, FM9 (on the way) Helix (floor Flagship model) and Kemper floor. Had the Quad Cortex (they’re not finished with QC) which I ended up selling, but no “Hype” for me, just real world application.
The modelers are terrific for recording and that’s pretty much all I use now for recording, but live use will always be a tube amp out of my arsenal and I have many to choose from, from 1965 to present day.
Best! ✌🏼
grest vid.. they all sounded great..but im a tube head guy so ill stick w my marshall heads... no need for modellers of any sort when you have the real thing
haha this fractal axe fx3 is hell of a modeler, I thought it was the real amp!
Awesome
So. I bought a Helix Stomp, the FDNM Yorkaudio and it doesn't sound exactly like this. I WANT MY MONEY BACK!
🤣 just jokin
Doubling guitars has a huge impact, don't have my DAW ready due to lone hiatus. But all in all my sound is very satisfying, tho the sound in the video is way more airy and mine is a little bit like a can. I don't think that the guitar is the factor, maybe you have a little bit of magic making the sound more airy. Slate digital, Low Pass filter etc. like in your "HUGE metal guitar tones" video.
All in all your blind test videos are F A N T A S T I C, cause it shows how close modern amp sims are when having a good IR. The Friedman and "Huge Metal Tone (Badonk) " I created from your videos are waaaaaay better than every default preset. I go on with the 6505, that tone you created is astonishing.
Haha, I also learned some of your riffs, also "big cinema" as we say in Germany 😋
Lol I was 100 percent incorrect lol.
Well, I said I preferred the amp the least…. That’s, um, innerestin’. I was definitely listening for the widest differences, and for which sounded more dynamic and cutting. Maybe the modelers are more of a ‘hyped’ rendition of ‘reality?’ Either way-good to know/feel/believe I don’t need an insane-loud, $3,000 amp to do my little home/recording BS.
Hot Dang! I was 100%
Got it right!. A more natural decay. B and C similar but the Axe-FX has a thicker low end.
Whatever you heard, IMO, there is no comparison between a helix and the real amp when it comes to amplifying semihollows with PAFs, like an es335. And I've tweeked every kind of parameter on a helix, hidden or not since they first came out. Most tube amps designed since Leo's Fenders, also, were not, to my ears, voiced with es335s in mind but in a different way. For the video maker to ascert the helix was close to the real thing makes me doubt the Fractal would be either for an es335. I have no desire to play a strat or LP; they don’t fit my playing styles. I do admit, though, that using a long chain of filters, impediance adjustments, equalizing, serial modeled amps all output to the best acoustic amp and from there to the front end of a very neutral 80 watt (jazz) tube amp designed in the late 50's (not a bassman), I do get usable tones out of the helix. For practice, i plug my helix into the backend of the best acoustic amp.
I can't believe I was right, they were soooo close. Probably if I weren't listening to them through studio monitors I wouldn't have been able to tell any sort of difference, but the JJ sounded 'rounder' with more pleasing transients than the other two. The Helix sounded just a little bit flat compared to the Axe FX, and knowing that I generally prefer Axe FX models to Helix, I just went ahead and guessed that B was the Helix and C was the Axe FX.
Damn it almost feels like the real thing has more chug. No preference on the other two. Id rather play the amp (with earplugs maybe)
C>A>B for me. JJ Jr sounds less, weaker and smaller than both modelers. Real amps don't always win, but I think Friedman BE-100 is a better competitor for a fair comparison.
Helix sounds fuller than JJ Jr, but I don't like the frequency response of Helix that sounds muffled.
Yep, I know I was going to get it totally wrong lol. I didnt get even one of them right lol.
But i will be not surprised if you make a third video and say it was a joke and all three sounds are the amp with high at 5 (A) 4(B) 6(C)
4:44
4:52
5:00
3:36
3:53
im right A is the real amp its not too difficult because the punch and clarity is better
They were all really close, I couldn't tell which was which. The only impression I came away with after the first listen was that I liked B the least, C the most...though A was very close. Just reaffirming my want for an axe III lol.
Can we get a randall diavolo video
I recently did a review!