Re: Line 6 Helix Impressions?
I have a Helix rack, which has the same firmware and interface. The difference is the separate foot controller and some extra I/O features. I went to his route so if I get into a band again, I'll only have to worry about one cable going back from my pedalboard.
So anyway, I like it. The amp models are really close to sounding like the real thing. Close enough that the average listener wouldn't know the difference, and close enough that they do have alot of that "tactile feel" that tube amps have. The preamp only versions sound really good when running into the power section of a tube amp as well. So if you're thinking of going the 4CM route with it, it will work well for that method.
The effects are superb! I love a good chorus on my cleans, and the tri-chorus model in particular is very lush. The delays and reverbs are very good as well, and the synth/pitch effects track very well, better than other synth/pitch effects I've messed around with in the past. They only warble when you screw up. There are more effects than that, but I've really only had the time to just scratch the surface.
I think I'll either end up using it in the 4CM with my Marshall JVM 410H, and another head for stereo with it's preamp in one of the Helix's loops, or maybe I'll get a Matrix poweramp for the Helix...I haven't decided. But for now, I've just been using it as a glorified headphone amp, and have been running it into the aux input of my truck's head unit when I'm on the road (I'm an over the road truck driver).
