Line 6 Helix Metal Bass Tone from Scratch with Darkglass B7K model (Obsidian 7000)

[@thescream1868]

bro your channel is my favorite for tone based info...you saved my sanity trying to come up with a good guitar tone, and now you have spared me a visit to the asylum with this bass tone tutorial.....keep this sht coming

[@amaurychavepeyer1114]

As a bass player using the Helix, it's always nice to see how other people are building their tone. Nice video ! Somehow missed the release of Nahsuhsizem. Listening right now :)

[@myflash]

One of the most helpful vid on youtube. People like you is why muscians can do well

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Glad to help

[@nickorobearsson]

Love your videos man. I'm new to the Helix platform and I'd be lost without your insight. You're the Bob Ross of Helix Metal Tones and it's awesome.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Ahhh thanks man! I love Bob Ross

[@matarazzoaaron]

dude, just the video i was looking for! i've got the same bass and looking to buy an helix, that's what i needed to find, thank you so much

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Glad to help Man!

[@KaiDown]

The whole point of having the channel volume and the master volume separate is that the channel volume doesn't affect your tone, but the master volume affects it the same way turning up the amp in real life would Fantastic video regardless 😁

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

I just didn’t want to do sound comparisons to see if lower the channel volume made a difference. I’m familiar with tube saturation and master volume and all but... I’m rambling lol

[@nd3783]

Perfect timing as I am just now deep diving into bass recording

[@msvlogcreation]

this was very helpful man thanks for sharing this, also you play bass just like I do when it comes to a quick noodling.

[@xplanet2112]

So this is I trick I did, we all know the NDSP plugin of the BK7? I demoed this and got a setting I liked then matched it with the Helix version, now you must not simply copy level for level/number for number if doing this, you need to use your ears. I did own the BK7 Ultra pedal, very nice indeed it is but I turned it after a year of not rehearsing. The NDSP BK7 plug in is very very good too.

[@ayeapprove]

Really good walk thru, I really like the tone you can get out of helix with this bass

[@willb3698]

Thanks Nick lovely Work as always. As an Englishman - it was a no-brainer to keep that beautiful British "Entwistle" sound with ROTOSOUND Round Wounds RS66 - A nice High Mid punch - right through your organs.. I have never suffered excessive fret wear from them. Since the last 4 years after 30 years + of the above, I now use DR Strings exclusively. DR HI-BEAMS. An American string - with a little more ZING™ lol.

[@diabolicwaste]

this video really helped i was struggling to dial a good bass tone

[@AndrewValentine-de6yv]

Would be great to see something like this on the Pod Go. Theres nothing online. Great job

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Love this idea

[@terrygoss]

Nothing wrong with Squier guitars - especially in the last few years. Way better than their price-point.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Agreed

[@ArmanGrim]

Yeah That's my man , another awesome useful Vlog , thanks a lot for all the efforts that you put into , keep it up my friend 😉🤟

[@jesseknorr9052]

This really helped me sculpt my bass tone! Dig your videos a ton dude! Subscribed!

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Glad I’m able to help man. Cheers

[@AdrasteaOne]

Man, this tone is fantastic. I'm working on creating my bass presets on my Stomp, so this is really helpful. 🤘

[@joshl8159]

Does this need any tweaking when playing live out of a PA though the DI? Removing the IR perhaps?

[@jeremyjones7184]

Love the river bandits hat.

[@FoamSquatch]

I have the same bass, in shortscale, Its not a bad bass. Of course it has some EMG Geezer Butler pickups so that helps.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Right on man! It just goes to show, you don't need super expensive stuff to get the job done! Cheers man and thanks for watching.

[@FoamSquatch]

@@NickHillMakesMusic I also have a CV Squire P Bass. I had an Aerodyne for a while and it was good, but not good enough to justify the cost over my " Fancy Squire's" I spend my money elsewhere. Came across your video as I am looking into a HX Effects. I have a Darkglass head, and a few nice cabs so I do not need the emulation, but its hard to find people that are doing anything with these on bass so I have seen them all and started dipping into Helix videos! Keep them coming!

[@Oshyyfabb]

Love this one Nick! Cheers from one of the Baritone Obsessed bro.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Welcome dude! Glad you stopped by! Love me some Bunn and baritone

[@generatorofheavy7761]

Solid, as always!😉👍🤘✌️

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Thanks my Dude!

[@coreyblaisdell]

i have been getting so frustrated trying to make a helix bass tone as a guitar player who doesnt really know how to make a good bass sound and this video is a lifesaver. Thank you so much

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Man! This is why I love doing this. Helping creative people be a little more creative with little more ease. Super glad to help my friend

[@kristofkolosnagy9152]

I would love to hear what could you get out of the Zero Amp Bass DI in the Helix

[@JLS-1]

Que ocurra éste sonido sin necesidad de un circuito paralelo hace que me vaya a ojos cerrados por la Pod Go. Muchas gracias

[@jessemccoll5941]

Out of curiosity, what setting do you usually use on the bass itself? Neck or bridge pickup? Both?! Thanks Nick!

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Yo! Depend on the bass but either both pickups or the bridge. Depending on the part and if I play with fingers, I’ll occasionally use the neck pup.

[@danielbell4007]

I beg to differ about that being not a good bass. Those are great basses. There are ABSOLUTELY better basses, but if it works and it sounds good, it is good.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

I agree with you. I love this bass and it’s been one of my best tools for music

[@danielbell4007]

@@NickHillMakesMusic my only bass right now is an old affinity squier p-bass I got at a pawnshop for $75 and while the truss rod is awful the rest of the bass works perfectly in stock configuration

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

@@danielbell4007 I'm a firm believer in working with what you have

[@bigrick666drum]

Giving this a go later. Couldn't quite get the distortion sound I want. I was almost wanting to sell helix Lt and get omega ultra dk pedal...

[@wookoouk]

Fantastic video as ALWAYS dude! Great bass tone, will be trying it out on my own stuff tonight! The only critique would be the snare in your mixes never sound as powerful as your kicks (maybe add a touch of verb and parallel compression). Would also love to know your thoughts on those Beyerdynamic open backs you have on :) Keep up the great work!

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Thanks man and for the feedback. I actually like my snare sound. Send me some examples of the snare you like in a mix. I’m always looking for different production techniques

[@wookoouk]

​@@NickHillMakesMusic Thanks for getting back to me :) I had another listen through all your tracks, I have to stress first that I adore the guitar and bass tones and the drums sounds are really great, the only thing that ever sounds off to me is the snare, it sounds like it not glued with the rest of the drums, the sound of the snare itself is nice, its got a Deftones overtightened snare feel to it, it just stands out a little too much for my liking.

[@johnl2653]

Your vids are my notes;) thanks for the lesson.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Glad they are helpful man! Thanks for watching

[@boechsner]

Have you ever tried DR black beauties? I came across them a few changes ago & l love them

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

I’ve personally not had good luck Wouk DR strings.

[@carlosgongil]

Hello!! Sorry for my english. Great video, but I don't understand why your bass sounds good at the beginning, before make the preset. I'm tryng the same but my MM Bongo doesn't sounds in bypass. Minute 3:10 your bass is great sounding, but my helix and bass without amps and cabs doesn't sound. My Helix it's connected to studio monitors.

[@GearStuffandThings]

Love this!!

[@AndrewStonerock]

My dude, I was literally just thinking about doing one of these.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Do it! There is room for many perspectives!

[@AndrewStonerock]

Also, as far as I know.... Running your channel volume maxed is pushing more electrons into the power section. This could affect master section sag/compression. So maybe turn down the sag or the master volume to compensate. Really, just play around bud.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

You're thinking Master Volume

[@AndrewStonerock]

@@NickHillMakesMusic I said that. You could turn down your master or sag to compensate instead of killing the tone from the maxed out channel volume. So, the way it works is your channel volume pushes the electrons through the phase inverter into your power section.. cranking your master increases sag. But, lowering your master could compensate for the channel volume being maxed.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Ah ok

[@jikunspite8660]

It takes 10 months to find this bro... ur a God. Im using stomp for my bass. Btw bro, could u give a tips for crossover split?

[@georgebushy]

I should mention that theoretically cutting the low end from 80Hz is not a good idea because even electric guitar's low E fundamental frequency is 82.4Hz which means you are cutting off your main bass frequencies.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Thanks for the knowledge. This works for me though and also, I’m not in E. Not to mention there is a roll of and not a brick wall setting going on. Appreciate the comment none the less. Cheers

[@acidbass]

Dude the EQ changes on the Ampeg SVT sim are doing nothing as your EQ isn't turned on! Otherwise a cool vid:)

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Yeah, I realized that. Oops

[@wolfhorsky]

Maybe late to the party, but You had Your EQ on Your amp turned OFF xDDD Great video, tho.

[@thebunn]

Cheap bass, CRUSHING TONE!

[@jobbo89]

Where did you get all the IR blocks from? I have none

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

I need more details Brother. So you mean you don’t have any IR files or an IR block? Every helix product is IR blocks. It has a little wav file lookin icon

[@youtubehandle445]

What kind of chair are you using? It looks like an Aeron, but I know those have armrests, which can get in the way when you're playing guitar. Asking because I'm trying to find a good chair for my home studio. Thanks for the video, very helpful.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Hey man. Thanks for watching. It’s nothing fancy at all. It’s a chair from Office Depot that was maybe $125-$150 tops.

[@youtubehandle445]

@@NickHillMakesMusic Would you recommend it? Thanks!

[@SandraupaChannelIDN]

nick can i get this tone from HX stomp line 6 ??

[@steffenjohansen6967]

Sandraupa Channel yes

[@le0_fx]

I wonder why you don't use any dedicated compression. Is there any particular reason for that? Still sounds very good, thx!

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Would just rather compress in the DAW if need be.

[@kylemundy8871]

Silly question, but I've been debating whether the Helix can handle bass. Theres chorus pedals, then there's bass chorus pedals. Same idea with other pedals. Can anyone comment?

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Can handle bass? Every track I’ve produced that’s live on Spotify, iTunes, etc and on KZbin (unless otherwise noted) has been tracked with the helix or helix native. It’s a wonderful bass professing device with several bass amp options and lots of bass focused effects. So I think what you’re referring to as mine 61 model petals that have been on the market that are classics or manufactured by whatever company they are modeling specifically for bass. As an example, Line 6 models a Darkglass pedal. Same principle. It’s a Bass focused distortion pedal.

[@kylemundy8871]

@@NickHillMakesMusic wicked, thanks for the help man. I play guitar and bass, I figured getting a helix is better than 2 pedalboards. Hearing that the bass options on that thing not only work but sound great is good news. Thank you

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

Right Man! Have a blast. Glad to help

[@xdoctorblindx]

"You don't need an amazing piece of gear to yield great results"...says the guy doing a Helix rack unit demo video lol.

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

The point was about the bass and I think you know that. Also, at this point, that Helix rack is 8 years old. That's $199/year to have all of the pedals and amps at my finger tips. I won't feel bad about that. Further more, you can pull this type of tone off with the HX stomp AND the POD Go but again, I think you know that. It's a curious side affect of youtube that folks feel like they need to try and shit and things for the sake of it. Good news is, your view and comment helped someone less pessimistic see the video, so thanks for that.