Change the FEEL of your Line 6 Helix or HX Stomp
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 6 июл 2024
- For my Presets visit: johnnathancordy.gumroad.com/ So - when messing around with the Fuzzes in the Helix the other day - some people jumped in the comments and pointed out that the "Auto Impedance" controlling the Guitar In Impedance Circuit has some important functions.
Friend, mentor and spiritual guide David Beebee of the Guitar Hour Podcast (podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...) and I have chatted about "Rubbery Slippage" a phenomenon that he senses in the HX Stomp but had considered to be latency. Given that I hadn't personally encountered this issue, but enough people with better ears than me have, when I found this setting changed my perceived immediacy and feel of the Helix and Stomp, I asked David to try it.
Also check out David and Tom Quayle's new app that will be useful for fretboard visualisation and I think particularly powerful for practicing changes in a jazz context • MASTER THE FRETBOARD W...
JCTwoTonesPrin
I've decided to make it possible to grab both my Helix/HX Stomp bundles (the expression bundle with freeze presets has always been separate) together for £5 - www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr... - I will then email you a link to both bundles!
You can get my EXPRESSION patches in this bundle using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
Try my patches (60-70+) for Helix or HX Stomp in this bundle for £3 using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
Try my patches for Pod GO for £3 using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
www.buymeacoffee.com/johnnath... - if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!
/ johnnathancordy licks, tabs and backing tracks
Intro Jam 00:00
What's this video about then, guy? 00:37
More Jam 01:06
03:00 Guitar In Impedance Circuit
03:20 Demonstrating the issue just by switching in and out a bypassed pedal
04:25 The difference a BYPASSED Fuzz pedal makes to your tone
04:58 Identical Preset - just without the Bypassed Fuzz pedal
05:27 Why is this happening?
07:17 Video Guru David Beebee on the 1Meg Impedance setting
17:39 How this is affecting tone and feel
19:54 Auto Impedance to "First Enabled" rather than "First Block"
21:55 Outro jam 
Видеоклипы
John's floating head talking directly into this dude's ear is exactly what I needed in these trying times.
Very useful video. I have had my hx stomp for only a week or so. Just got your presets and man what a game changer to have such great sounding tones readily available. Thanks again, John!
Big, big thank you to both of you. It's been over a year that I fight with my Helix and I had not found the "Holy Grail": Impedance 1Mohm! that's the solution, remove auto impedance, retouch the sounds a bit, and it's superb .... big thank you my friends.
Beautiful Tones mate .... I returned my GigBoard and I am getting the HX stomp. I love these stinging and stabbing cleans. Splendid work John
Man, you have the best friends ever, haha!
I watched the first 5 seasons(?) of Guitar Hour and loved Beebee's playing and ideas.
That podcast is a very underrated learning resource for intermediate players.
They talk about phrasing, modes and just so many things.. all of them play great as well.
David was working on his app, Solo, at the time.
I need to catch up with it again.
Wish him and everyone the very best!
Thanks for the vid!
So glad I hung in there long enough to see the dog input impedance!
My understanding from talking with my local Line6 Rep is that the impedance is set to what the actual impedance would be for the first pedal or item in your chain (not cable length per se but can feel that way). This simulates plugging into the actual pedal itself. Changing it off auto overrides this and can lead to more desirable sounds in certain situations. Changing it is like modding a physical pedal to have a different input impedance. Also, by changing this to 'first enabled' its like turning the pedal into true bypass when its off. This impedance function is also on the HD series.
I wonder if the 1 Mohm setting is like running with a buffer in front of your virtual pedal board but this is where my knowledge is lacking.
Every time Dan (TPS) explains impedance I totally understand it until it falls out of my brain about 30 secs later. So, I knew this was probably important on the Helix, but hadn't played around with it. Thanks for this video!
Yeh I'm the same to be honest, I just think of it as like a brightness/presence thing like if you use a bunch of pedals without a buffer?
Can’t wait to try this! Thanks John!
Just bought a Stomp last week. This was SUPER helpful! Thanks!
This is my favorite tweak with Helix and HX Stomp. Messing with the impedance control is key to making these things "feel" right.
Man, your tones are just phenomenal! That intro tone was very reminiscent of EJ's Ah via musicom & Venus Isle era. Chapeau!
Brilliant man. Thanks for sharing this.
Hey I think I was the one that mentioned this ! Glad I could help you for a change lol
Thanks John! That impedance setting is incredibly important, and Block location. I ran into a similar problem with a Wah Block not long ago on my HX Stomp. There was a Preset that had a Wah as the first block, and it was turned off. I had assumed that because it was off, that it wouldn't be affecting anything. I didn't think I was likely to use it, so I removed it. As soon as I did, my tone changed radically - louder, clearer, and just better. I had no idea what might be going on until I watched the Jason Sadites video on the Arbitrator Fuzz. What a HUGE difference. I hope you do more experimenting with the impedance setting and keep us informed about what you've discovered. Thanks again. 😎
You are such a beautiful player, man.
Short and to the point: they made the Helix so REALISTIC that it does what the REAL PEDALs do and how the interact with the guitar . For me as a FUZZ fan i have to say that there is no brand out there where the modelling fuzz behaves like a real fuzz (unless you don't use a wireless system) . It's insane.
I ridiculously just discovered that a bypassed block in my chain affects my tone. Blew my mind, as I’ve had my Helix for years. Will definitely play with impedance when I get home tonight.
I’ve had a couple of times when I’ve found a setting buried somewhere in the settings that made me feel like i now had a new piece of gear! Will have to give this tip a try as well.
Very very interesting !! I actually saw a video from a guy using the Stomp few days ago and he just randomly mentionned he was using a particular setting in the Impedance Settings, not auto. Surprised me but as he didn't talk much about it at all, didn't think it'd worth messing around with.
As a fuzz fan, came for the impedance modeling discussion, stayed for the "rubbery slippage" discoveries. Cool app, btw, Mr. Beebee! Using it and recommending it to students. Cheers, Daniel
Doggie! :) Grr on the FM3 fixed 1MOhm vs. Axe-Fx, but likely throwing a real fuzz in front of it anyway.
I soaked mine in fabric softener for 24hrs, and the fuzz feels great. Tip of the week, don’t tell everyone.
Don't use one of those de-bobblers or all of your fuzz will disappear. Learned that the hard way
@@tonystartup3817 Shreds well when battery’s low.
Thanks
One thing that I learned really early with my HX Stomp was to have an “always on” analog pedal with unity gain level before it. That has kind of the same behavior or effect because it forces the impedance and it helps a lot!!!
I have to use a real pedal for feel and sound. At the end of the day after tweaking and tweaking, I always go back to a great amp and real pedals and actually play for hrs.
@@kcussrebutuemos4815 Fair, I think they are different tools for different jobs...
Adding a compressor at the start of your chain should reset the impedance to 1M. You can also reset impedance via snapshots or bypass as some fuzzes like a lower impedance. I’ve been toying around with this.
Some good knowledge and content 👌
The First Active Block option in Hellix 3.0 has transformed my 4 year old relationship with Helix from penpals to happily married couple.
I don't know if this will be seen as useful , but for MAC users there are also a bunch of things that can be setup to optimize playing/recording and feel. I found using these simple ideas also improved drastically playing feel and reduced sense of latency;
Optimizing your macOS System for Music Production below...
Adjust your Energy Saving settings:
Go to the Apple menu > System preferences > Energy saver. You will find several options that might affect the performance of your system:
At “Turn display off after”, move the slider to “Never”.
Disable “Automatic graphics switching”.
Enable “Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off”.
Disable “Put hard disks to sleep when possible”.
Disable “Wake for network access”.
Disable “Start up automatically after a power failure”.
Disable “Enable Power Nap”.
Audio MIDI Setup:
This is the native audio and MIDI utility app for macOS. Here you will find each connected device and some related settings (Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup).
Check the devices to include within the aggregate device: The inputs and outputs for each device will appear in the order you choose. Select and right-click on your audio interface on the left side.
You can configure your interface to work as main input/output for your Mac by clicking on “Use this device for sound input, output, and play alerts and sound effects through this device”.
Finally, match your buffer size and sample rate with the audio interface software and your Plug-In settings.
Disable Handoff:
Unintended connections with your Apple devices could cause performance drops.
Go to the Apple menu > System Preferences > General. While on this window, uncheck “Allow Handoff between this Mac and other iCloud devices”.
Identify the processes that use the most resources:
Launch the activity monitor by going to your Applications folder (Applications > Utilities) or use Spotlight to open it by typing “Activity monitor”. In this application, you will find a list of processes and their impact on CPU performance. Look for applications that use too much CPU and close them.
Keep in mind that the percentage showed in the CPU column corresponds to the approximate utilization multiplied by each logical core of your system. This means that if your system uses a quad-core processor with hyperthreading (8 threads), the maximum utilization will be 800%.
Disable visual effects:
Go to System preferences > Dock.
Disable “Animate opening applications” and “Automatically hide and show the Dock”.
Click on “Minimize windows using:” and select “Scale effect”.
Repair disk permissions:
If you have an older system that has been slowing down over time, you may need to repair disk permissions manually to improve the performance of your device.
Open the disk utility (Click the finder icon at the Dock > Select “Applications in the “Places” section > Utilities > Disk Utility).
Select the hard drive at the left.
Click on “Repair Disk Permissions”.
Wait till it’s done and restart your system.
Please notice that if you use OS X EI Capitan or higher, you don’t need to manually repair your disk permissions.
Very interesting, I need to go and play with the impedance. I don't think my playing is good enough to "feel" a difference but I could definitely hear a difference.
This applies to my situation also.😂
Wow, really interesting! I had to sell the stomp when I got to the front of the queue for the FM and did notice the ‘feel’ but thought it was in my head because of the cost difference. Might have to revisit the Stomp...
Great.most informative!
Jc I’m going to go and compare this is a real breaker ! And should be out there for helix users 😎
Thanks for this tip! It might be worth pointing out that if you use pedals in *front* of the Helix or Stomp, the impedance setting shouldn't do anything noticeable if your pedal has an always-on buffer (vs. true bypass), or if you just leave the pedal always on. While a (passive) guitar's signal is high impedance, and thus significantly impacted by the impedance of whatever you plug it into, pedals (except for passive volume pedals) almost always have low impedance outputs, which should be negligibly affected by the load impedance (i.e., the impedance of whatever they get plugged into). -Tom
That could very well explain feel differences when using a real pedal into the Helix or Stomp - right?
@@johnnathancordy Yes. It's similar to what goes on with passive volume pedals. Many of them have pots under 1 Mohm in them, so they can excessively load a passive guitar signal. For example, I have an Ernie Ball Jr volume pedal; its pot is just 250k, and I really notice its impact on tone if I plug straight into it (I also have their stereo pedal; it's 500k, and still noticeable, but definitely less). So I always use it with a Boss OC-2 in front of it. Even if I'm not planning on using the OC-2, it's always there, because Boss's switching always leaves a buffer with a 1Mohm impedance in the signal path. -Tom
Worth remembering that there's a setting introduced with Helix firmware 3.0 which changes the operation of the auto impedence - giving options for auto either to set impedence to first pedal in chain, irrespective of whether it's on or off, or setting it according to first pedal which is switched on.
Yessir - it's referenced in the end of the video and probably should be the go to for cats who use Fuzz I reckon?
@@johnnathancordy definitely for the cats
Ha ha, caught out not watching to the very end!
My helix has always felt kinda firm and unforgiving? Like its made out of metal and plastic or something
Very interesting stuff, and generally speaking thanks for your pretty nice straight forward no bullshit yt channel ;)
Once I get to 20k it's all bs from then on...
Just kidding but thanks I'm trying!
Thanks that was great advice!
Digging Solo - great app! Liking the impedance knob on the helix - using lower settings for softer less harsh sounds on my suhr s, but not fast enough yet to notice the ‘slippage’
I guess that also the sag, ripple, hum and bias settings in the amp affect the “feel” - just guessing that there is some room for improvement in case you’re experiencing the “slippery rubbery “...
Anyway, I’ll definitely be checking the input impedance for the first time soon 🤪
Hi John,
I'd love to see you do a video on using the Helix with acoustic guitar, especially using overdrives with an acoustic!
Do the Pod Go, Full Helix, and HX Stomp all have different default impedance settings? Seems like on the Stomp you only have the option for "first" or "engage" for the "auto impedance" feature. I have a stomp and it's default was "first". I might be going crazy but I thought when I switched it to "on", I thought that it sounded better and fuller but added latency.
The Helix and the HX Stomp buy default are set to AUTO. I think those options in the auto impedance are "First" and "Enabled" so those settings are actually the same as the Helix.
The Pod GO doesn't have the guitar input impedance circuit, and is fixed at 1meg (like an FM3)
You made the pentatonic sound FRESH
I think this needs to include things the guitar presents like the value of the volume pot and pickup resistance, which if I knew more about electronics, I could explain why impedance is different than resistance. As coincidence, the output pot on most guitars is usually 250 or 500k, and some are 1 meg. I think that ties into to the impedance voodoo, which is a real thing that's helpful, but not essential to understand. I've always thought of impedance as variable, or dynamic resistance. Excellent work, and enjoy your channel. Good playing, good teaching, and good science experiments !
I was looking at mic preamps, and although I don't play direct in often, I have played Les Paul clean parts directly into Great River MP2-NV 1 meg inputs (sounded great) and heard of old english guitarists hitting the input of a Helios pretty hard. I read that shooting for a 1 meg input impedance was similar to a guitar amp, and a desirable trait. I don't have all the facts yet, but I know my recording interface can provide 1 meg. I notice a loss of volume and brightness when I turn the impedance on the HX all the way down. It's loudest and brightest at 1 meg, and if I switch the input to the efx return, I don't see the setting, but it sounds loud and bright like 1 meg, or auto.
Quick observation. I own both a Helix and and Axe FX. Where I think the Helix modeling is missing is on the drive/gain characteristics of how the amps drive. In Helix modeling there’s a certain grainy, buzzy, mud kind of quality/vibe/feel/sound to how the amps drive that I think puts it behind the game of units like FAS units. It’s the main reason I don’t use Native for rhythm guitars in recordings.
I look up to Cordy, he's amazing.
My Dad is tall, I look up to him too
I am pretty sure this bothered me so much, I found out that using the return aux in (that has no auto or manual impedance setting) fixes the issue. i.e. don't use the HX Stomp in (that has auto impedance or manual impedance). I have raised this on some forums but no one else seemed to notice.
I've recently been struggling with this feel issue with my FM3. It just feels like there is a delay between the pick attack and the sound. Been on the forums calling it latency, but I'm wondering if it's something different. Any thoughts?
For Helix Native with computer interface i use Polytune 3 with buffer ON (1MOhm input).
I have a similar problem but I'm not sure if it has to do with impedance. I'm getting crazy because the sound that comes out of my amplifier(s) using my HX Stomp (updated to 3.15) feels like it 'stays inside' the cab, I mean the sound is not in front and I was wondering if it has to do with the impedance settings. It sounds a bit more vivid set to 1M ohm but I feel like something else is missing and thus the sound is not fully coming out vividly out of my amplifier. That comes more obvious when I play with a band and my sound is covered by the other instruments, that's frustrating. I hope that you guys found some more solutions about these issues. For now, thanks for this video.
This clean tone is fantastic - what pickups and amp model are you using?
i got the whole picture,but in a real enviroment,using the ame pedal in front of a chain,wouldnt give him the same "problem"? we always talk about "modeler should feel like the real thing" but when it happens we are not happy ? :) btw i immediatly set to "first enabled" after watching this ;) thanks john :)
Great tip! How would you recommend I set the impedance for an external fuzz pedal? I've got an Earthquaker Erupter that's incredibly loud and doesn't always play nice with my HX Stomp.
Someone in the comments here I imagine will know better than me.
I'm going to imagine that the modern fuzzes a) are true bypass or buffered well so the exact issue discussed in the video might not be an issue.
That said, it seems like the Arbitrator Fuzz impedance setting is around 10k or something like that on the Helix - although apparently if using an external pedal the Guitar Input Impedance may not make a difference in any case (I don't understand impedance so I'll default to someone who knows better)
Looks like the output impedance of the Erupter is 1K
I see David was talking via his FM3. There was a ever so slight delay between his speaking and the audio. Get a HX.
Appreciate the info - do you notice anything feel-wise relating to the pod-go good or bad?
The Pod Go is fixed at 1meg so won't have these same things happening
How would one set up the arbitter fuzz in the pod go ? as the impedance is fixed at 1M ,we can't reduce it to a lower value that the fuzz would like.
Hmm - stick an EQ at the very front of the chain maybe?
Interesting. I'm gonna have to go and errrr..... twist my knob now. Cheers.
Thanks, I'll be checking that out tonight...
Just got my Helix and just discovered John's page, his tones are stellar!!! Does anyone know if he's running direct in to his DAW? If he's not, I want whatever monitors he's using!!!
Sort of adjacent to this, I’ve been listening to Heroes by Stephen Fry and was wondering if anyone knew if the Hydra always had more than one head or was the first time it was beheaded and two heads grew back, it was like, what’s going on and who are you?
I’m auditioning to be the new Eddie Izzard, now he’s regenerating
I suppose one thing I'm wondering is how often does the auto setting= 1M? In other words, if you aren't putting a fuzz first in your chain, is the default (auto) setting 1M, or does the unit often change to one of the many other settings?
It often changes. many of the drive pedals have settings much lower than the 1m too
'Chad-level filming quality' made me laugh out loud.
So nice to hear two master tweakers comparing notes together
What reverb type is that? Is beautiful.
Nice EJ backing track.
Hi the beginning jam tone , is it available for hx stomp ? Can you share please, I already have your express pack you can name if it’s there
EricLead I think?
Do you set global setting impedance to first block in order for this to work?
First enabled is what might avoid some of the potentially less favourable impacts of bypassed drive pedals on tone?
Is there any equivalent to this in the Pod Go?
Good question - since the Pod Go doesn't have the Guitar Input Impedance circuit, it's not necessary! It's fixed at 1meg like the Fractal FM3 is
How this would apply to Helix Native since it doesn't have global setting?
Helix Native would be using the impedance of your interface which I believe is generally 1meg anyway?
@@johnnathancordy based on all the devices I’ve used over the years Hi-Z inputs on audio interfaces are typically rated at 1 Mega ohm - but there appears to be some variation in the standard from device to device.
Last year's Helix 3.0 firmware changed it so that the auto impedance setting matches the input impedance to the first "active" block in the chain. So, having an inactive block at the front should not produce the "lack of feel" effects being demonstrated here.
Not quite true - by default nothing has changed unless you follow the steps to change it as shown at the end of the video: from Line 6 release notes:
"A new Global Settings > Preference parameter determines how the Guitar In's impedance circuit behaves when Input > In-Z is set to "Auto." When set to "First Block" (the default, and how Helix has worked since the beginning), the impedance circuit reflects the impedance of the first block on Path 1A, regardless of whether it's enabled or bypassed. When set to "First Enabled," the impedance circuit reflects the impedance of the first enabled block on Path 1A. Called "Auto Impedance" because "Sorry-this-took-so-long-we-love-you-Tito83" wouldn't fit."
@@johnnathancordy admittedly I bailed on the video, since I knew the impedance issue had already been addressed. Did not realize that first "active" wasn't the new default so thanks for pointing that out!
Its a pity that this impedance setting cant be changed in Helix Native :(
Ive always found that the helix floor has much better feel than Native.
Any tips for this ?
The reason it can't be changed is because your interface is responsible for the impedance so in general will be fixed at 1meg - it's actually a physical circuit in the Helix/HX Stomp that is switching this stuff I'm afraid!
@@johnnathancordy Great to know, thanks! My audio interface is pretty good (Audient id4), but somehow I feel that the Native sound feels weaker in comparison with the helix floor. Is there any configuration you would advise me to try ? :)
This was exactly the same problem I had with my Helix Lt when I first got it, was the feel of the tone playing fast licks and was thinking about the Latency issues with it and quickly got boared playing with the Helix, whereas I never had such issues with the Plugins playing with hi gain lead along with the pick attack, However, I am gonna try this settings and see if it works... if not, Then I think Line6 should fix this problem cuz I do not wana use a unit that makes me feel boared after playing it for 10 minutes 😪😪😪
You don't get it: There is no problem with the Helix. It models amps and pedals up to the point where they work and react the same way as a real physical unit would. This is not a problem, this is awesome.
@@rockerviktor Not everyone feels the same. And it's my personal choice
@@gauravlama2079 There are multiple ways to get around this behaviour, several of them are shown in this video. So what is the problem really?
@@rockerviktor The problem with me using the Helix is the Tone feel on the unit, feels very uncomfortable and the tone does not feel natural easy and transparent, Second thing is the noise gate. It cuts the noise but also dries out the gain signal doing faster pick attacks, Third thing is the tone shaping issues, Have to really dig into the unit to shape the sound that I want, which makes myself lost for hours months etc. The best thing in the Helix for me is the user interface. In terms of Amp models Cab sims tone feel etc. I was more happy with the Fractal audio. I felt preety confident using it and it sounds and feels absolutely phenomenal. Also to mention about Fractal audio is that no matter what amp or cab I use with it. Just adding Amp and Cab in the chain with Fractal. It sounds great right away. So I didn't need to do crazy deep dive into the tone I was looking for.
Good tip. This seems not to be available for HX Stomp. You can set the impedance value, but there is not the option for 'first enabled'. It is auto or set the value... Am I doing something wrong?
Have you updated the firmware? It's in the global settings I think?
It is in HX stomp as well, but you need firmware 3.0 minimum
@@potul facts. Actually in stomp the options are just called "first" and "enabled" though so maybe that's what Doomed is missing?
@@johnnathancordy @DoomedDawn In HX stomp you can configure Impedance in two places. In the input block of a preset you can decide the impedance Ohms manually, or set it to Auto. Then in Global settings you configure what "Auto" means (first block, or first enabled block)
@@potul Ha, so user error it is. Thank you very much for the help to both of you. :-) It is always worth asking when puzzled about gear...
Pleeeease, I need these tips for Helix Native
It's the same. Click the ball first in the chain, scroll right and chose impedance.
@@Blahaba There is no option for that in native
This reminds me that the Line6 wireless has some details about immediacy versus "length of cable" settings. Hmm. I am glad I heard this, as the Helix Stomp is new to me, and I am very "latency" sensitive.
PS I did grab the Sølo App, though note, searching for it was not obvious because of the spelling with a slashed o ie: Ø
Great video . So are we saying impedance set at 1Mohm is best ?
I don't think so personally, but David likes that - personally I've switched mine to be in Auto "First enabled" mode so that I avoid the Fuzz tone suck thing!
Yes. 1 Meg is equal to plugging a 10ft cable from your guitar into an amp. It’s important to have enough force to get the signal all the way though your effects. It would be more informative to know what the impedance is coming out of the helix. Typical you want 1 Meg in and 100ohm out. Impedance is the reason we use buffers. Interesting if you use a poly 3 tuner between your guitar and input to the helix you will get the 1meg impedance from the built in buffer on the tuner.
I thought that this was going to be about dbrand skins and I'm infinitely disappointed. I want a faux marble skin for my hx stomp.
What do you advice for the Pod Go. I don’t think it has this setting.
Since the Pod GO doesn't have an impedance circuit like the HX Stomp or Helix, it won't apply - but this EQ trick might ruclips.net/video/r_bq7ugvLN4/видео.html
@@johnnathancordy Okay, thanks.
What about a buffer pedal. Things is I was this close to buying the Pod Go and then I read about this impedance issue. Is it a real thing.
Where is Tito?
the attack still feels all muffled. I don't get how such a huge company has such a big and obvious problem with their amp emulations pick attack. Do better Line 6
U got a mesa Boogie there and U putting a fake mulity effect threw. Didn't make sense
Modelers: the worlds first simulation where you play the guitar that someone else plays for you.
dog owo
First
Strong effort.
@@johnnathancordy Some day I will show you it again, then you will be surprised
@@johnnathancordy Hey, John! You inspired me to play on the helix, and then while I tweak some parameters I found something interesting.
@johnnathancordy If you use low and high cuts in the IR block you will get a different result than using an EQ Block with the same Cuts after the IR block. If you post the EQ block before the IR block you will get a different result too... I don't know how the IR's cuts works, but I preferred to use an EQ after the IR block.
This is nothing new...I have been using Helix since launched...it varies on preferences of the user...you don't need to be a GURU to know this..
Who said I was a guru? I think you might find it was new to one or two people who watched it chap