How I Make the Line 6 Helix Feel like a Real Amp

Here is a new tip that I use when I want the Helix to feel more like a real tube amp. This isn't something I do in every preset, but if I ever feel like something needs a little bit of a better feel, this is my go to process.
Tip Jar - paypal.me/stevensterlacci
Gear I Use (Amazon Affiliate)
Guitar Related
Line 6 HX Stomp amzn.to/3cl8M5N
Line 6 HX FX amzn.to/3fD4JDJ
Reunion Blues RBX 2E Double Bag amzn.to/3d1iw4B
Studio Headphones (Cans) amzn.to/3cmfZ5t
My Favorite Cables amzn.to/2WNhZxg
Strings I use amzn.to/2yHd5tv
Suhr Reactive Load IR amzn.to/2yHsOJ1
Picks! amzn.to/2Ackm4R
Guitar Rack amzn.to/2YNxhVa
Camera and Lighting Related
Camera amzn.to/3ckvDhF
Best Lens for M50 amzn.to/3fE4iso
Camera AC Power amzn.to/36BpJXr
Camera Shotgun Mic amzn.to/37v88AR
Camera Batteries amzn.to/2TLh1AL
B Camera amzn.to/3biNYuj
Cell Phone Mic amzn.to/2YMwoMu
Vocal Mic amzn.to/3fBPafy
Tabletop Lights amzn.to/35JptFu
Light Ring amzn.to/3bmiyDc

[@SteveSterlacci]

Here is a new tip that I use when I want the Helix to feel more like a real tube amp. This isn't something I do in every preset, but if I ever feel like something needs a little bit of a better feel, this is my go to process.

[@jayteesgear]

Super interesting

[@SteveSterlacci]

@@jayteesgear thanks for checking it out!

[@ericajohnson7535]

My trick is to add an envelope filter mixed very very low. It adds certain "squashiness" to the sound and makes the notes more alive, a very subtle "waaaaaaaaaaaooooooohhh", that you can barely hear, but it makes the sound more interesting. When you palm-mute, it adds almost like a "boing" sound to it. I use it mostly on clean lead sounds. Give it a try.

[@SteveSterlacci]

I will give that a shot! Thanks!

[@jdbruh6709]

hey how do you dial in the filter?

[@3mstudiospalmdesert]

I LOVE two knob compressors. Another great tip. Thank you.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks Mark! 2 knobs are for me lol less confusion!

[@rocktopuss9279]

Nice! Something so simple made a nice difference. Thanks man!

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks for checking it out! Glad to help

[@mgie22]

I’ve been running a stereo la studio comp after my cabs for a long time, but always feel like my presets have too much similarity in feel and sound. Just a/b’d vs the tube comp before the cabs and it’s got all the bloom and sustain, but more naturally. It rises and falls more naturally and has better dynamics through the cabs, and also saves me DSP. Thanks for the great tip.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Awesome! I moved away from the studio comp last while ago for the same reasons. Also made solo boosting much more difficult. It fits better here IMO! Glad you like it!

[@matthewgerbutavich4582]

During the pandemic I spent a lot of time getting to know my gear. Bought a BOSS Katana as a cheap practice amp. It also has a headphone jack for practice at night in the apartment. Wanted something more so I eventually bought a Helix. Now I run the Helix through the Katana as a speaker cab. I only use the pre amp models on the Helix. Since I have the 2x12 Katana, I use the 2x12 cab models in the Line 6 for most realistic response. Coming from a Dr. Z Maz 38 2x12 to this current setup, in my opinion the best "amp in the room feeling" is having any sort of speaker cab at your feet, pushing air, while running using just the pre-amp models. I don't have a studio or studio monitors so all I know is the "amp in the room" feeling. I don't feel any difference between the Dr.z or Katana/ Helix in terms of response. And I'm happy with that!

[@SteveSterlacci]

that sounds awesome Matt! I totally see that as a great and viable option. I unfortunately have to be on silent stages all the time LOL

[@Nicky-T]

You're cranking them out now! Cool effect. I just tried it on my all-around preset with a US Princess (my fave) and it gives a subtle but nice effect. Saving this block as a Favorite. Thanks so much! Camera much better today! Glad to hear it's a zoom.😉 Peace 🎸🎸🎸

[@SteveSterlacci]

🤣 same lens, just zoomed a bit. Glad to meet your approval!

[@djlurch1049]

that LP Supreme is absolutely gorgeous bro

[@nick.raptis]

Hehe, I always have an LA comp at the end of my chain just for this reason! To be honest, I'm not trying to emulate a tube amp because I really have never owned one. My approach is more "I'm in the studio booth and hear an amp and cab miced in the iso room" and there you'd definitely be going through a comp. Funny how adding a compressor helps with both live amp and studio tone immersion 😉

[@SteveSterlacci]

For sure! The reason I don't prefer the comp at the end is that is affects the post amp fx and makes solo boosting more difficult IMO. So having it between the amp and cab lets me use the FX as if they were outboard gear

[@picksalot1]

Until recently hadn't known/appreciated that many "Guitar Cab Speakers," including Classics like the Celestion, have shocking steep high frequency cutoffs around 4-5kHz! On the HX Stomp, ALL the Amp Cabs have the High Cut arbitrarily set to 8kHZ. This means the almost all the Cab Speakers are out of Spec, and it makes a significant difference. It makes everything about dialing in the Amp and getting a "Real" Amp sound much easier if the High Cut and Low Cut Parameters match the Frequency Response Chart for the particular Speaker. A Speaker with a high frequency response of 4kHz will be completely borked by a significantly higher "High Cut" setting in the HX Stomp. I'm getting the best tones ever by paying close attention to the Real Speaker Specs and setting the Cab to those. Getting it right makes a huge difference and I think is the "Secret Sauce" in making a Modeler sound and "feel" like a Real Amp. It easily gets rid of the excessive highs and fizz. 😎

[@SteveSterlacci]

Absolutely! I do the same in all my presets and tip vids

[@picksalot1]

@@SteveSterlacci Thanks for letting me know. 👍It is beyond me why Line 6 Helix would set the High Cut on all the Cabs at 8kHz. It all makes sense to me now why so many users have complained about the excessive highs, and brightness in those units.

[@therainensemblemusic231]

@@picksalot1 mic recorded guitar sound have a lot of signal much higher than the speaker is able to produce according to it's chart. The things is it's not the CUT, it's gradual lowering. Also, mics are picking up some room sounds and speaker/cab overtones. So you must use your ears. I don't say you really need signal higher than 5k, but sometimes it's fundamental to cut through a dense mix with frequencies you can't hear but can feel.

[@StratsRUs]

Thanks !

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks for watching!

[@danc3746]

Great tip and I do hear the difference. I found the best way to get a Helix feel and sound like a real amp is to use a real speaker cabinet and a tube power amp. IRs and cab blocks are just not for me. The only drawback of a real cab and tube power is that some amp models start to sound the same, but so do real amps.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thats the beauty of modeling! You can find your best solution for any application

[@danc3746]

@@SteveSterlacci Very true. There are times I do use IRs and Cab blocks into a Headrush 108. Just prefer the tube power with a cab most times.

[@SteveSterlacci]

@@danc3746 for sure! Makes perfect sense. I usually have to play on a silent stage with IEMs, so I am fully contained in Helix

[@galelongputt]

Hey! I don't think I have ever been your first commenter 🤗 I always appreciate any tips and tricks to help make my Helix life better. Thanks again Steve! Gale 😎

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks Gale! Always appreciate hearing from you on here

[@Youngster543210]

Analog overdrive in the effects loop 👍

[@SteveSterlacci]

That works!

[@GearStuffandThings]

Very interesting little trick

[@SteveSterlacci]

Hope you can use it!

[@Axman66]

+++ nice video, thank you Steve +++ just found out that high cut filter has the most effekt to make the sound more realistic +++

[@SteveSterlacci]

definitely!

[@Aevyn]

I'll definitely give this a try. I've been doing something very similar with the "Ampeg Opto Comp" model set fairly aggressively after the amp block to help keep the volume levels in check between the different drive stages

[@SteveSterlacci]

Also a very solid option

[@johanndaart7326]

In POD X3 Live a compressor block was always fixed after the amp. So back then, it was integral part of Line's 6 simulation chain. IF Helix still has some of the DNA of old Line 6 products, maybe that's why it still benefits from using compressor? My guess would be that in X3 gen, the power amp simulation wasn't as developed, so they've added compressor to simulate power amp effect on tone. Then there's still some "meh" about power amps in HD line, were Drive gain and Master gain are connected, which is irritating. It's like POD HD had finally DSP to abandon fixed chain of X3, but not a lot changed about the inner workings of the sim. It seems that in Helix L6 power amp simulation got a lot better. Yet, maybe it still benefits from the help of the ol' Tube Compressor ;)

[@spivvo]

I grew up playing through my lab series L5 (same amp BB King used), this has a built in compression and was probably the first amp that Roland/Marlin/Boss tried to make that sounded like a tube amp. Subltle use of the compression meant that it added a little bit of chewy sustain to my terrible solos. I now play pedals into a regular cube 60 (on clean channel) and have a boss compressor at the beginnig of the chain, always on… does the same thing. Have come to the conclusion that it is not actually the glass tubes that make that “tube amp sound”…. It’s the other components that regulate how much signal is going onto the tubes and therefore create compression when a load of signal is sent through the circuit……. I know nothing about electronics but that’s my uninformed veiw and compression always does it for me.

[@SteveSterlacci]

you make good points! i like it

[@grade43podcast]

I keep seeing folks use the Cali comp for this, I suspect this one uses less DSP? Thanks for sharing hoss! You da man

[@SteveSterlacci]

No idea tbh lol maybe! 😅😅

[@grade43podcast]

@@SteveSterlacci 😂😂😂😂

[@dconleygtr]

This is interesting. I added this block to my main preset in between the amp and IR block, and even with the threshold maxed, and the level on zero, it added volume.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Hmmm interesting. I wonder if theres something in the preset causing that

[@Eric-dd8bk]

A tuner view on HX Edit would real cool Maybe in the input block or something.

[@SteveSterlacci]

It should just pop up on the screen like in HX Native

[@chl3224]

@@SteveSterlacci I've never used Native so have no idea what you mean. lol Besides that, some more mic positions wouldn't hurt either. Will take Helix to the next level in fact.

[@SteveSterlacci]

@@chl3224 i do believe a whole cabinet overhaul is coming. I hope the rumors are true and soon

[@yotabirdman]

This is why some people like kemper bc it’s super compressed naturally

[@SteveSterlacci]

Id love to try one someday! Still havent

[@yotabirdman]

It’s a great unit only downside is searching through 1000s of rigs to find 1 you like

[@Bilsuburbians]

I am poor guitar player and only have hx stomp as a modeller. Thank you for this info. Subscribe immediately

[@SteveSterlacci]

Hx stomp is the best piece of gear you can ever own!

[@Bilsuburbians]

@@SteveSterlacci so stoked to see your reply! Thanks for all the infos and all the nice content about musical gear! 🔥🔥🔥

[@SteveSterlacci]

@@Bilsuburbians thank you for watching!

[@JDGreen916]

You're assuming that the threshold all the way up means you're not hitting it, and therefore not getting compression. That may not the case - even if it's not showing metering on the Floor's display. And that would explain why you hear a difference between the bypassed and engaged signal with the threshold at max. Mostly likely what's happening there is some specific frequencies are compressing while others are not, possibly combined with some loss of top end that naturally occurred in the original circuit.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Well, according to the meter, its not being hit. But that doesnt mean the compressor is totally flat and descrete. So it does add something to the sound even when not compressing. I do like it even doing nothing

[@billk5864]

Using a Quad not a Helix but that is one good looking Les Paul Steve. If you come across any tips like this to make the quad more amp like I would be very interested although I’m very happy with the sounds I’m getting.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks Bill! I am looking forward to trying the new comps in this same role. I am sure ones bound to work great. Do you use captures or models?

[@billk5864]

@@SteveSterlacci I am strictly using models currently. I play mostly 70-80-90’s rock. I used an evh 50 watt amp and since switching to the quad I’m finding it’s working even better. It’s much more versatile as I’m sure you know. I have one main preset with eight scenes that covers everything from clean to slight breakup to searing leads. I have been very happy so far. Can’t imagine going backwards at this point; and I was dead set against modelers at one point. Lol.

[@vladrapchan5330]

Hey Steve! Do you think that playing/hearing the helix through 5" monitors vs 7" or 8" monitors makes any difference in the quality/realism/pleasure of playing the guitar without a real amp?

[@SteveSterlacci]

It depends highly on the room I would say... i have both 5s and 8s in my small room. I can push the 5s harder, but they're cheapos compared to the HS8s which sound better. But the 5s are great for jamming in the room or for YT vids

[@StratsRUs]

The HS8s are great !

[@swardmusic]

This is my secret sauce!! Well i thought it was!! 😂

[@MintyBitesBack]

Cool video. Do you think the Helix is still better live over the Quad Cortex with the most recent neural update?

[@SteveSterlacci]

If I am being honest, Helix is still way ahead in terms of live usage. Not being able to assign outputs and control of the volume knob are huge downers for me in QC

[@MintyBitesBack]

@@SteveSterlacci Thanks bud. Keep up the good work!

[@SteveSterlacci]

@@MintyBitesBack thanks for watching and commenting! Means a lot

[@denzciodiaz347]

how do u set the floor to mixing conrlsole xlr ..mic or line?

[@noeffnwaypal]

Hello Steve, great tip! New sub here and I've always recorded my Helix through an amp and cab with two mics. I just recently tried running the XLR straight to the interface from the Helix (to stream line things), and it sounds like complete ass. Way bright and screechy. I've not had the time to dive into your massive Helix library, any quick tips? I've even built some new patches from scratch but they just sound thin and empty in the DAW. Keep up the great work and stay safe!!

[@iA4R0N]

Have you considered the volume when you're dialing in tone? One thing I was omitting was making sure to lower my output volume to my headphones so that I could focus on the frequencies and then dial it in how I liked at that lower volume. We tend to believe things sound better when they are louder and we adjust our tone accordingly. This might not be the tip you need but something to consider if you haven't already.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thanks for the support! I have a whole playlist of 2 minute tips. I would spend time messing with the cab block to find what suits you best. I use the dual cab feature and blend mics onnthe same cab, then sum them to mono with the parametric eq to fine tune. Also, high cuts down to 6k or lower will help

[@noeffnwaypal]

@@iA4R0N I have, but I am still experimenting. I've even down loaded presets from KZbin videos (ones using Helix cabs, not IRs) and what I hear never matches up with how the preset sounded in the video. I realize KZbin compresses things so it will sound different, but sometimes they are not even close. So unless the content creators are using post processing (that they do not mention), it is a source of confusion. I've seen videos where Helix factory presets sound great but compared to how mine sound aren't even close (not without a butt load of tweaking).

[@iA4R0N]

@@noeffnwaypal depending on the mix, they are probably double tracking too to give stereo width.

[@jerbear1601]

@@noeffnwaypal Try turning on the input pad on the guitar block at the beginning of the chain, you can now use it per patch instead of global. It sounds a little less hot and you may need to change your gain and EQ settings but it will sound less compressed and more natural. I use it on all clean tones to get rid of high end distortion creeping in (this changed my cleans totally!) I still use the pad off for higher gain patches as I like the effect on them.

[@al23x56]

On a topic of nice feeling guitar sound - what are your thoughts on changing impedance to 1Mohm, and maybe adding ribbon 4038 mic (saw some discussions around these two)? I'm trying to figure out whether it's worth buying Helix or FM3. Trying to see if there's a way to dial in helix so that it sounds close to FM3? E.g.: get rid of harsh top end, avoid it sounding "nasal", more fullness on the lower-mid range, smooth, etc.

[@SteveSterlacci]

Its a hard question to answer since youre trying to solve problems you dont yet have 😅🤣. I have an fm9 and helix, both have plusses and minuses. Ive got a few videos outlining my thoughts on the 2.

[@al23x56]

@@SteveSterlacci Hey, appreciate the response, isn't the point of asking questions to avoid having problems? I'm not really looking to compare the 2 and prefer to research before I have a problem. Just thought since you have both devices, you may have tried to tweak Helix to match the sound/feel of FM9. Not to worry if not, you can just say it. I think my question was quite clear and specific.

[@SteveSterlacci]

@@al23x56 yes, of course! But asking about specific solutions like impedance and mic choice for problems you may not have is my point above. Not putting down the questions at all! Just saying its hard to give recommendation on a solution without having it yet. I get great and usable sounds out of both. Id probably lean fractal only because helix is getting closer to a next gen within the next 2 years (purely speculation). But people who are first time modeling users ALL love their fractal

[@Crabfather]

How do you not get a level jump with the tube comp, even with zero make up gain??

[@SteveSterlacci]

There should be hardly any increase in volume, especially if you follow along with how i do it in the vid

[@Crabfather]

@@SteveSterlacci yeah i got some sense in my head and actually did how you said (lol) and it worked a treat! Thank you for an excellent tip!

[@SteveSterlacci]

@@Crabfather 🤣🤣🤣 happens to the best of us

[@peterhughes8699]

ahh Steve - of course every tone you played sounds the same on youtube. Irrelevant what you did to it on the Helix. And I've got a much better idea to help your Helix sound, feel and have dynamics more like a tube amp. Plug it into a 6L6 tube driven 50W Fryette Power Station 2. It'll be game changer for you :)

[@SteveSterlacci]

Thats okay, this is more of a feel thing than a sonic difference IMO. Id love a powerstation though!

[@wea69420]

just bump up the sag dude

[@SteveSterlacci]

I bet you say that to all the girls

[@wea69420]

@@SteveSterlacci If I ever talk to one I will

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

If only you didn't have to waste a block just for that

[@SteveSterlacci]

Fractal does have parameters like this in the amp block FWIW