Is Helix Native Too Expensive? NO! The Best Value Plugin for Guitarists

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/ johnnathancordy get my backing tracks here
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only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!

[@NedJeffery]

I bought Native for $50 in November last year. That's about £30. It's pretty handy for recording because I can copy my presets over, and tweak after the fact to make the guitars sit in the mix a bit better. And then export the preset again so you can use the exact same tone live.

[@Chris_Nouvelli]

I ordered a HX Stomp about two months ago from Andertons. It still won’t arrive until 31st August apparently, but part of the offer was it comes with Helix Native, Metallurgy, and Cubase LE 12 all for free. Can’t believe it’s taken this long for more stock but really can’t wait to get my hands on all this great tech.

[@iresentdoingthis1550]

One of the blessings Helix Native offers as John Nathan stated is the ability to use all the cores on your PC so if you turn Off Compatibility mode you essentially have a 16-32 Core Helix. I use it for recording essentially having a full on effect rack as a plug in for recording vox/drums/keys/strings etc and allows you to get really creative. Also because the legacy effects are essential the Line 6 M13 & the newer HX FX are amazing so you have an all-in-one plug-in for every aspect of recording/mixing dare I say even mastering. Definitely worth the jump

[@PeacelandMusic]

But then you can't take your sound to the gig? When will we finally get a hardware update that will give us more power? Waiting patiently...

[@Wadey1960CS]

I personally don't know of anyone that has picked up Helix Native for full price of late. It's been on some sort of sale for the past several years. I've had it for 3-4 years and have even thought about getting rid of my Helix LT hardware because of using the plugin so much in my DAW. You can truly do almost anything in it that you can do with the hardware. Only bounds are the power specs of the PC/Mac you're running it on. Having the hardware (Helix, Helix LT, HX Stomp) to go with it is definitely a huge plus if needed. Another great instructional video @John Nathan Cordy, Cheers!

[@goodearthrecordings1989]

Great video! I got Helix Native on sale when I got the HX Stomp. I use it much more than the other software suites and modelers.

[@deut3168]

Love the way you play. Not sure what you call that style, but it's great. It's what I hear in my head when I stop and think of solos.

[@ConstantineM]

I use Helix Native on all my guitar tracks, on drums, vocals and synths. Even used it for podcasts and for stock video audio. Amazing piece of software.

[@c.g.vonhagenstein7576]

Posting a little late to this (which is typical for me), but compliments on both the tips and playing. Both are well done. Regarding dual amps... One other piece of software / plugin that does that well is THU (formerly TH3) Overloud. Underrated piece of software imho. Admittedly I prefer some of the amps in the older version (TH3), but THU brought some new and worthwhile things to the table. Having said, one of my favourite things about Helix Native that I rarely see anyone focus on is the level of control you have over parameters with midi expression pedals. Out of everything I've tried (and that includes Neural's stuff, Bias/Bias FX, Amplitube, and on and on), there's not much else that provides the level of control HX Native does. Blue Cat Audio's Axiom suite comes close. To give an example I'll use wah effects. A point of frustration with me when I need to use a software based wah effect in tandem with a midi expression pedal is controlling the range of the sweep. In almost every plugin I can map the wah effect to the expression pedal easily enough, and I can usually control some aspect of the overall wah sound (although shame on Neural DSP for NOT doing this - wah is very untweakable in theirs), but if I want to define the wah frequency at either end of the sweep (as in the "heel" to "toe" position on the expression pedal) there's practically nothing else out there on the strictly software side that lets me do that. There are midi plugins and tricks that let me re-map or restrict the midi value range of an expression pedal but it's a lot of fiddling about, and often results in un-smooth sweeps, higher latency, and other audible anomalies. AxeFX gives you a similar high level of control but that's a hardware/software combo. So my hat's off to Line 6 for the level of control they give you to define your sound, and your ability to control parameters with expression pedals. It really is unparalleled in that regard.

[@ThePlanarchist]

Totally agree, excellent software. Not sure I'd ever have paid full price for it (I paid £100 when I bough Helix I think) but totally agree that it is the best one out there. I mainly wanted it as I could copy from the helix and back but it also seems to beat or at least equal anything else out there. I actually like that the blocks don't look like the things they're emulating....I've never used most of the original hardware so don't need to have to navigate its controls, the Helix was is much more logical for me.

[@MarvelJAM]

I still use Helix rack and Helix Control floorboard to control the Helix Native plugin. I actually wish that Line 6 would release a MIDI floorboard to control Helix and other plugins. Maybe even get it ready for MIDI 2.0 parameter control.

[@Sea_Jay]

Should be free with any Helix / HX hardware purchase

[@UXBen]

It was through Sweetwater for the past year or so. I got my HX Stomp XL during that deal and glad I bought into the ecosystem. Hopefully they run that again!

[@Sea_Jay]

@@stewbert72 they get paid when you drop $700 - $1700 for the hardware with the same technology. I stand by my statement, it should be included for free. Really, it should be part of the editor.

[@Sea_Jay]

@@stewbert72 They update the Helix without paying extra

[@Sea_Jay]

@@stewbert72 By your way of thinking, your iPhone shouldn't be updated for free then

[@bigslickphoto1519]

@@Sea_Jaythat’s not solid logic. If you bought an iPhone to shoot video, to edit on your Mac, you can use iMovie for free or you can buy Final Cut.

[@wd8440]

Fantastic video. Just bought the native plugin after owning the hx stomp xl for a year so for 99 dollars a no brainer. As in most of your videos on the helix lots useful information and tips. I was wondering if you had used your katana as a powered speaker using the power amp in?? I am interested in trying that and have ordered a katana based on all the positive reviews. I am a big fan of your channel and appreciate the amount of information you provide on a daily basis. Keep up the good work and many thanks, Woody

[@angelsnotangles7879]

Just beautiful playing and writing John wow!

[@jasonkucharski7411]

Gonna have to try that compatability mode. Learn something new everyday!

[@ToneDeth.]

You're relentless hx stomp videos paid off because when I finally gave in and got an hx stomp there was a special deal so got native for free. Having said that. I'd pay full price for helix native. It's amazing

[@Herfinnur]

I've used Helix Native as a catch-all mixing plugin, and it's been surprisingly good at that. It's a bit awkward how e.g. the best drum saturation is in (I don't actually remember) - the delay section, perhaps, but you can dial in a cohesive mix pretty fast. Oh, and I like to keep the headroom low in the delays. I think it works better in a mix

[@jorgemartinez42069]

Are you talking about the Retro Reel? I know that has a saturation control. It's in the modulation section if that's the one you're thinking of. I'll have to give that a try sometime. I love tape processing on drums.

[@Herfinnur]

@@jorgemartinez42069 yes, that's probably the one! I unfortunately haven't been able to even touch a guitar, bass, keyboard or computer for two months, Because house building is a blubberflubber of a task. But there are also a couple of modules that have a "texture" slider, and they all do cool things

[@realpool]

John, Have you ever thought about reviewing Blue Cat's Axiom? Pretty incredible software. Cheers....

[@Eliotmarc]

Great, I ahve some instability issues with it in Logic pro X (on a mac mini M1 chip).

[@lassekalhauge4801]

Agreed- along with Scuffham S-Gear😊

[@Alex_Martz]

How did you made the intro glitching loop?, Do you have a video on that?

[@FartCoffinStudios]

Damn. That's some smoove guitar fiddlin' man. Cheers.

[@azizaziz7007]

Could you please do a video on how to get Native work in stereo mode?

[@ConstantineM]

I am so happy that I got it for free when bought LT.

[@Arthur_My_Dear]

I bought my HX Stomp a few months back and got, Native, Metallurgy and Cubase 12LE free

[@nellatruc]

How do you get your direct input from your audio interface to mute so you don’t hear it along with the sound coming from Helix Native??

[@UrbanGuitarLegend]

Do you have any IRs for a Mooer GE150?

[@JamesJLaRue]

I'm wondering if lower latency than the Helix hardware is possible with good enough computer and interface. If all fx are included, like the legacy stuff, the synths, and you can use unlimited instances of the plugin within a song/session, £400 would actually be fair, though I see nobody is actually paying that full price.

[@djwworld]

beautiful song, man!

[@jakestewartmusic]

I got Native for $50 bc I'm a Stomp owner and got it during a sale. Considering how much it can do, even for mixing, I'd say that's a bargain. Frankly, the Native plugin is one of the most genius parts of the Helix ecosystem - being able to create presets for the different HX hardware, back them up, and access them via the plugin is probably the most flexible modeling ecosystem on the market right now. Nobody else offers that level of flexibility and compatibility currently.

[@eugenedaly]

I didn't think that was possible! how is it done?

[@oscarcubur7797]

Este no tiene el Eq global? O donde se encuentra 😅.

[@ac8704]

I also got a $40 MIDI pedal so I can control snapshots, and use it just like my Floor.

[@williamperez3781]

What audio interface do you use with Helix Native? Not sure how to do that... 😢

[@mladshi]

What sound card is best for “zero latency” experience with native on a mac? I effectively want to play with a band for rehearsal with native. Thanks

[@BernardGuy]

For all I know, latency with any plugin is more about the power of our Mac-processor power, number of cores, how much RAM, etc-than the interface. The better the Mac, the more the buffer size can be lowered which lowers latency. I can run plugins with my Mac without any latency. Having a good interface on the other hand gives us good preamps and converters.

[@koenroels4549]

Can you use this plugin in a aux track for other instruments, like you do with a single plugin?

[@johnnathancordy]

UMM - so - you could do - the only thing to be aware of would be that if you send Stereo tracks into a normal Amp/Cab in Native, you'd end up summing them to mono - there are ways around this though (you'd set up a split with 2 Amps/Cabs to preserve Stereo)

[@Crunch104]

I only ever use my Helix at home. I am therefore thinking about selling my Stomp and using Native exclusively. what's stopping me is that I can't get the noise floor in Native as low as my Stomp. Even when I use the Stomp a the audio interface and use a copy of the same preset. Any ideas, please?

[@thefunkfactory]

Line 6 we’re giving it for free with HX hardware earlier this year, which is what eventually made me go for the Helix. I develop sounds on the Helix for live use which I can then import to Native for use when recording and vice versa. Great integration!

[@KozmykJ]

Snap ! The freebies certainly tipped my choice. I got mine from GuitarGuitar cos Guilford had stopped the offer the night I decided. My deal was better in the end cos I got a soft case for the Helix from GuitarGuitar 👍

[@handyc77]

Those are some rad chord voicings.

[@JohnMcGFrance]

I picked it up for £40. It’s great value and easy to use. No complaints here!

[@rowbags3017]

I was disappointed with Helix Native initially (I don't have any of the hardware), but that was purely my fault for not putting in the time it needed to begin to use it properly. I tried factory preset after preset and simply wasn't impressed by most of them, but once I went back to it and really began to play around I realised just how powerful and flexible it really is! Of course, by then I'd bought some hardware alternatives for recording! 🙄But now I've got a nice mix of options for live and recording. 😎

[@MrKbeaumont]

Got mine free when II bought my Helix LT

[@willthepill11]

I'm guessing Line 6 keeps the delay headroom parameter at 0 dB by default for authenticity. I noticed running these delays with low headroom before the cab gives the delays a nice grit that's smoothed out by the cabinet, whereas the delay distortion can be a bit unpleasant (at least for some) when run without the filtering of a cab model.

[@yuudee3132]

only Line 6 has the hardware same with software update same version. no other company update so frequently.

[@roryt1983]

In regards to Native having more signal chain creativity , isn’t that negated by the fact guitarists will be using a daw any way ? You can dual amp any plugin in a daw. £400 is way too much imo , but each to their own, competition benefits us all in the long run.

[@masasikaak]

Got mine end of last year for free with a purchase of HX Stomp XL. Best thing is you can copy presets over from HX devices to Helix Native. No need to start from scratch with other plugins even if they might be better. What‘s more, the HX is getting better all the time. Why ever get out of that ecosystem?

[@michaelharveymusic]

I bought your presets and only have helix native running on a mac? shouldn't these work? i can't seem to import them in to helix native ):

[@danielastorga6853]

I got helix native by means that would make rum drinking sailors from the 1600 very proud

[@dustsculpture]

Just here for the intro song.

[@aquele_dinho]

I'm using it with mainstage and some midi controllers. For me, if necessary for a gig, it substitutes very well my old (and sold) Line6 POD HD500X.

[@MrVyrtuoso]

On its own, w/out any bundling with or discount from hardware, and that it doesn't operate in stand-alone mode, yes it's ridiculously expensive and not a good value at full price. NI Guitar Rig Pro 6 is the best value, being the most versatile and also creative out of all of them, and cheap enough at half of Native.

[@ac8704]

I also got Native for $50.... its incredible. Unbelievable value.

[@mamifero.efimero]

Bought it for 50 USD last Black Friday. Last guitar plug in I buy!

[@david_farmer]

100% agree it's the most bang for the buck. I don't have any Helix hardware and happened to find it for $199 in Dec 2021. The only real drawback, as you pointed out, is the lack of a stand-alone version. Lots of people like playing through their DAW's inputs but that doesn't work great for me as my projects tend to have plugins on the master that muck with the latency too much. So for me anyway I tend to like having a stand alone version. The rescue for this is Blue Cat's AXIOM which in addition to it's own internal plethora of nice amps and effects, can host VST & AU plugins, like Helix Native. I use AXIOM as my starting point for all guitar plugins, including loading Neural DSP into it. All the pluginalliance plugins don't have stand-alone versions either so AXIOM works great for all that. AXIOM + Helix Native is the most flexible software setup out there IMO.

[@StephaneBergeronPixelyzed]

Helix Native is awesome indeed but, working in it can be tedious because of the UI. When I work with HX Effects when using my Analog rig, I prefer working in HX Edit vs directly on the unit. But now that I have a full Helix floor too, I actually work faster directly on the Helix for tweaking sounds. HX Edit is still more efficient to me for setting up switches, controllers and that kind of stuff. Managing presets and the like is also much easier in HX Edit/Native mostly because of drag and drop and being able to type names on a real keyboard. But the sounds are the same in any of them including Native. I did get it for 99$ (US) after I got my HX Effects. Great value for the money I think.

[@Bigjunk9999]

Native is why I stick with Line6 and haven't got to s different platform.

[@ksharpe10]

And if you have John Cordy TALENT, You get "Venus Isle" in a BOX, you can take with you to Gigs. And Stun a wedding crowd. One of John's Finest: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGi4anekfLN_fbM

[@dudeman-nathan]

I bought a cheap used HX Stomp, bought Native, sold the stomp for $30 more 😄

[@akaerik1]

It seems like a no brainier if you own a helix product for 50.00. However Its absolutely overpriced for 400.00. 🤷🏽‍♂️ just saying.

[@tappistrt]

If you're just a home player and don't need hardware, it's still the cheapest way to get the full Helix experience.

[@user-ej5ph2oj4s]

Line 6??? Standalone Helix Native,please!!

[@zackblake526]

The fuck is a high Z input lol

[@Facu_Roldan]

I got it for free lol

[@cookiemonster2949]

It is too expensive. Period.

[@efosefpsefjpos]

not if you download it illegally

[@AmericanNationalist852]

😅

[@lukather1]

Stopped using any helix products when. I heard Neural Petrucci ! It’s the dogs nads !! And just sound awesome ! A great guitarist can make anything sound great ! Even I sound great through the Petrucci !! Lol

[@ManchurianCounterweight]

Every studio musician in Nashville has a DL4, so helix delays are on thousands of charting tracks for all genres. So there's that.