Anderton Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Please post suggestions for updates, comments, and questions here. Important note about non-United States orders: If for whatever reason you can't create a Sweetwater account, you can purchase the book as a guest. However, make sure you save the download code! It's the same code you'll need to download future free updates. Available at Sweetwater What's New in Version 1.3: 489 pages (30 more pages than version v1.2.1, 121 more pages than version v1.1) Frequency response curves and analysis of the 9 new cabs introduced in Helix v3.60, and revised frequency response curves for the cabs introduced in v3.50 Coverage of the new Grammatico GSG, Elmsley, and Agua Sledge amps Coverage of the new Dark Dove and Triple Rotary effects blocks All-new tone analysis of the 13 three-parameter distortion blocks (this doesn't relate to 3.60, it's just something I found fascinating) And as the software folks say, "additional bug fixes and enhancements" :) What's New in Version 1.2.1: Hotfix solves issue with PDF readers showing only thumbnails, not text, in the contents sidebar. What’s New in Version 1.2: 459 pages (91 more pages than v1.1) 337 Presets and files (over 100 more than v1.1), including new presets for Poly Block low tuning, bass, bi-amp processing, EQ-based cabs, combi-band processing, and 82 stunning new multiband presets for Helix 4-path devices Extensive analysis of all the new cabs and mics in v3.50, with frequency response curves and performance summaries Coverage of the new effects blocks in Helix 3.50: Pillars OD, Vita Dist, Vita Boost, 4-Voice Chorus, Flexovibe, Dynamic Ambience, Boctaver New section on Send/Return block applications Expanded bi-amping chapter Surround sound and multi-channel audio configurations with Helix Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted September 24, 2022 Author Share Posted September 24, 2022 Rumors abound that a Helix update is forthcoming in the near future. When it does, it will probably take me a month or two to revise the current Helix book into version 1.2. Current plans are to make this a free update to owners of the existing book. I don't think the changes would be so extensive as to merit a new edition, but that depends on what Line 6 has up its sleeve. One element that will be included for sure is multiband presets for the Helix amps released since I made the Craig Anderton's Amazing Multiband Helix Presets pack. I had hoped to make new presets available for free to owners of the existing presets, but the Line 6 Marketplace has no mechanism for offering free products (not surprising, it's set up to be a store that sells things). So, I'll be including the presets with the next revision of the book along with the other free files. 1 Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted November 4, 2022 Author Share Posted November 4, 2022 Helix update 3.5 is out. I don't have an ETA for when the free book update will be available, because some other book updates are in progress. But I'm hoping it will be in late December. Regarding the free multiband presets mentioned in the previous post, I'll assume people will update to 3.5, and use the new cabs where appropriate instead of making presets that are backward-compatible with older Helix operating systems. 2 Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpspoons Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 Hi @Anderton, I'm sure you'll be at least mentioning the new cabs in your updated version for 3.50. Would you be able to expand the section about "Option overload" on auditioning amps / cabs in the Helix? I nearly asked you about this anyway as I just wanted to check my understanding - it sounded like run through all the amps then all the cabs then all the mics then all the amps again... given the new cabs options I'm definitely feeling option overload and would love to get an idea of "best practice" for setting up my own patches as opposed to using the stock or others' presets. Many thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted November 4, 2022 Author Share Posted November 4, 2022 43 minutes ago, jpspoons said: Hi @Anderton, I'm sure you'll be at least mentioning the new cabs in your updated version for 3.50. Would you be able to expand the section about "Option overload" on auditioning amps / cabs in the Helix? I nearly asked you about this anyway as I just wanted to check my understanding - it sounded like run through all the amps then all the cabs then all the mics then all the amps again... given the new cabs options I'm definitely feeling option overload and would love to get an idea of "best practice" for setting up my own patches as opposed to using the stock or others' presets. Many thanks! Yes, the cabs are a big deal, and I'll be spending some time analyzing them. I'm particularly interested to see how mic placement affects the sound. The suggestion about covering "best practice" for setting up your own presets is a good one. A lot of it depends on defining what you want the preset to do. In a live context, that's about fitting in with the other band members, and choosing the appropriate sound for a song. In the studio, it's about fitting into the arrangement, where you have more options than live performance. Or maybe you just want to explore new sounds? Perhaps you could give me the main reasons why you want to create your own patches, because that will influence the path you take to get there! Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpspoons Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 Hi Craig @Anderton, thanks for the response. I'll try to explain my issue, but this might be a very personal thing. If I get to try out a new pedal or a new amp, I like to play through it / tweak it for at least half an hour to see what it can do and what I can get from it that I like. The problem is that I've only ever played through maybe 3 of the amps and 5 of the pedals in the Helix, so if I wanted to adopt that approach to everything that I don't already know (rather than flip through blocks on stock settings), that way lies insanity. Your book has been great in terms of helping me to understand the differences between the various different new (to me) fx models, and what a good use for each might be. Without it, it would have just been a sea of sliders with similar looking parameters, and I wouldn't have known where to start. The section on amps and cabs by comparison seemed to be suggesting a virtual version of my real world "try everything" approach but worse - in the real world, I wouldn't have swapped out cabs and then mics on the same amp, and then swapped out amps again - the Helix options are actually explontentially more. I think the short cut I'm looking for here might have arrived with the new cabs... the new stock amp+cab blocks sound good, I think I should just pick one and build on it rather than spending ages tweaking it. I'm mainly a home / home recoding player, with occasional jamming and ever more infrequent gigs. The main reasons for creating my own patches are 1) being able to sit down with a blank preset and quickly get to a tone I like, rather than spending hours geting to one by accident and 2) making tones that inspire me to play. I'm not chasing a particular tone, and although I enjoy the process of creating tones, I want to better / quicker at it... basically I want to put myself in a position where I play more and spend less time being a virtual sound engineer Hope that makes sense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 That makes sense, excellent topic. What do you think about this... I have played through all the amps , and there are about a dozen favorites that cover a range of different sounds (clean, crunch, high-gain, etc.). I keep coming back to those time and time again. When I want to get creative and make some presets, they're based around those amps. So, set aside an hour, call up each stock amp and cab, and play for a minute or two. I'm pretty sure you'll prefer some amps over others. When you find amps you really like, make them favorites so you'll remember which ones they were. Then, you can start exploring those to start creating your own presets. Keep in mind that the most important characteristics are the notes you play! A great melody line or chord progression will sound good through any amp, so it's just a question of choosing the right amp for a specific musical context (e.g., you wouldn't call up the Metal Amp of Doom preset for a jazz standard). As far as mic positions and such, there are certain common aspects. For example, move the mic in closer, and in most cases, there will be more bass because Line 6 models the bass-enhancing "proximity effect" with mics that are directional. Once you hear how moving the mic sounds with one amp, in many cases, you'll experience the same sounds with other amps. Exceptions are either noted in the book now, or will be in the future. Finally, bear in mind that we have a lot of cool forums here (although I'm partial to Sound, Studio, and Stage, LOL). It's an ideal environment for asking questions that are more general (e.g., music-related, not just technology) than what would be appropriate for the Line 6, Helix-specific forum. Welcome aboard! 1 Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpspoons Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 Great advice 😄 Thank you! Funnily enough I watched a YT video this week where a guy called Tony Lee Glenn (props) did exactly this, i.e. played through all of the 3.15 amp/cabs on stock settings - and it started me on the thought process that there's an easier way to do things than my thorough one-by-one. Doing a couple of minutes myself on each of the 3.50 amp/cab blocks is hopefully the missing piece of the jigsaw that will allow me to let go of trying to explore EVERY possible permutation in search of something "better". The forums are great but I've found myself reading way too much about topics like "which amp is best for clean to dirty" when I need to focus on "which amp shall I start with" - there's some brilliant stuff on them but sometimes I wish every topic came with a beginner / intermediate / expert rating! Thanks again for the advice, much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicLaw Posted December 2, 2022 Share Posted December 2, 2022 Craig: Earlier this week Jason Sadites released an informative YouTube video Stereo vs Mono about positioning Stereo FX Blocks, Splits & Merge, and the proper use of L & R Pans to assure Stereo FX are not inadvertently summed to Mono. The issue he addresses is one commonly misunderstood by many non-engineer guitarists and musicians. Given Helix's inherent Stereo Paths the when do things sum to mono concept is confusing to many. Now with the new Dual Cabs and their respective Pan capabilities things can get very interesting. Notwithstanding you existing coverage of the Stereo and Mono issues in Helix, you may wish to consider another supplementation of the topic of maximizing the Stereo FX with Split Paths, etc., as a inspirational furtherance of what Jason published earlier this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted December 3, 2022 Author Share Posted December 3, 2022 Interesting...Sweetwater said there's increasing use of stereo and some fundamental misunderstandings about how it works, so that's a very good point. Added to my to-do list Thanks! Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted June 8, 2023 Author Share Posted June 8, 2023 If people liked the deep dives on the three-parameter distortions, let me know and I'll do more deep dives on some of the other distortions. Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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