The Helix Reverbs are MASSIVELY Underrated

For my Presets visit: johnnathancordy.gumroad.com/
For ArtistWorks courses: artistwork.prf.hn/click/camre...
For TrueFire courses and All Access Memberships: prf.hn/click/camref:1100lqzr3
Use the code JNC40 for a 40% discount off all courses, or JNC100 for $100 off all access membership!
I've tried quite a few of the expensive reverb units out there, from the Chase Bliss CXM1978, to the Meris Mercury 7, to the Eventide Blackhole and plenty more...However, this is my favourite!
This preset is called "BestVerb"
/ johnnathancordy you can get my backing tracks and lesson tabs here.
www.buymeacoffee.com/johnnath... - if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!
Get my PADs bundle here: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr... (this folder will grow, and I'd encourage you to ask for different keys/songs and stuff that might suit this type of preset?)
I've decided to make it possible to grab both my Helix/HX Stomp bundles (the expression bundle with freeze presets has always been separate) together - www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr... - I will then email you a link to both bundles!
Try my general patches for Helix or HX Stomp in this bundle using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
You can get my EXPRESSION patches in this bundle using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
Try my patches for Pod GO using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
/ johnnathancordy get my backing tracks here
www.buymeacoffee.com/johnnath... - if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!

[@jeradatherton]

Thanks man. Great video. Cool sounds. Always loved the dynamic verbs.

[@tmuka]

So beautiful! I really appreciate that Line 6 doesn't stop at just adequate! I had complicated feelings about the previous gen, but the Dynamic* verbs are pristine, textural, and musical!

[@xdoctorblindx]

I love this style of video from you. So informative!

[@jasonfnorth]

Your playing is outstanding.. this made me want to listen to more of your playing. Great work!

[@SirTupsAlot]

Really cool. I had no idea this was possible. Definitely gonna try this. Thanks!

[@Takianagi]

I picked up the Helix because of you and all the things that you've demonstrated as far as it's features and I'm not disappointed. Hope all is well John!!! 🙌🎸🎶🔥🔥🔥

[@sjsphotog]

John - another intro that needs to become a full song on an album. Please. Love love love your stuff. Keep it up. New CD long overdue.

[@southpaw335]

One of the best intros of late. I mean they are always good but something in this really got my ear. this needs to be on an album, some lovely space left in there early on and the chords at the end.. 👍

[@TLMuse]

2nd to this-truly evocative melody. This one is another keeper. I was a bit heartbroken that it ended so soon! -Tom

[@dudeman-nathan]

So good! I use a youtube cutter website and download these and listen to them a lot!

[@sirtreebeard8106]

This was great, definitely has inspired me to want to explore this reverb sound on my Stomp.

[@DavidBeebee]

Big/Blue Sky is still right at the top along with the fractal verbs. But yea the dynamic suite in helix totally changed the line 6 fx game. Dynamic plate is utterly brilliant and does remind of the warmth and complexity of some of the Strymon sounds.

[@guitarplayer1969]

Yeah I would still like to see JNC try to dial in the Big Sky Cloud sound on the Dynamic Plate Reverb and even using other Helix effects with it if needed to see if its possible to get close, instead of all these other units he has like the smaller Cloudburst or Chase Bliss, as all these other reverbs are great, but the Big Sky is still the top dog for most, and the Cloud setting is the one that really defines that pedal.

[@handyc77]

Great video as always and this topic is relevant to me. You do exactly what I do with the Plate and lately that is increase the Decay. However, I do still use a Big Sky as well for additional reverbs on the fly if I want. Primarily for ambience. It also frees up DSP and Spares flipping through presets, etc, with the StompXL

[@samseitz9937]

I would be interested to see you make a Devin townsend inspired ambient patch. I think his ambient playing is some of the most interesting stuff he does especially from a tonal perspective

[@johnnathancordy]

Hmm doesn't Devin have some presets that are in the factory preset list?

[@samseitz9937]

@@johnnathancordy not that I know of. I know he is a big Fractal user and he uses the big helix for ambient stuff. If he has made factory presets it’s news to me

[@MegaAndyGG]

Which one is better for ambient Line6 or Ampero??

[@bobprince1539]

Pretty amazing how much you can get out of an amp with reverb. Yes: I love the Dynamic Plate. Nice clinic on how to get more out of it. Thanks, John.

[@FRUITSWITHROOTS]

Your chord work is beautiful. So musical. Always been a tube amp player but you have gravitated me to buying one of these HX stomp pedals.

[@LaminarSound]

I agree Jon. I ran a Stomp based board with analog drives and my Neunaber verb in the FX loop for 5 years and when they released the Dynamic verbs in Helix, thats when I finally decided to sell everything and go full Helix. Theyre very good man. I do miss the Nuenaber sound, only because it became such a huge part of MY sound. But I feel the Dynamic verbs are every bit as good, just a slightly different flavor.

[@toddcarroll2703]

great tones, thank you

[@picksalot1]

Plate is also my favorite type of Reverb, and the HX Stomp is my favorite pedal for so many reasons, as you so beautifully demonstrated. 😎

[@jasonkucharski7411]

That s a Top 5 of one of your openings for sure.

[@jorgemartinez42069]

John, that riff at 2:30 was just wonderful. Idk why, but in context, that part really just stuck out as a bit of contrast from your typical (and excellent) legato style and sent me somewhere.

[@Sea_Jay]

I gravitate to the Dynamic Plate as well. I use it on all my patches. It's kept me from GAS'ing into a Strymon Big Sky. Lol

[@handyc77]

Oh it didn't stop me at all from doing exactly that. The two together actually can blend FANTASTIC reverbs

[@ogmakefirefiregood]

Dude. I still listen to your last FM3 video and listen to that reverb. It is the best reverb I have ever heard.

[@TheSomen09]

Lovely tone ❤

[@tmuellerbodenheim]

Very nice vibes, Mr. Cordy!

[@alexdm3721]

yeah! i will go into it!

[@RajorshiBhattacharyya]

Insane opening!

[@chrisdavies9143]

Stunning sounds. The Dynamic suite has definitely changed the game for Helix 'verbs. I still love my Fractal verbs, my CXM. I also have a Specular Tempus and a UAFX Golden that I use on synths, keys etc. The 70s plate algorithm in the Tempus is unreal

[@OrganicaShadows]

John is a possibility in the future to have the backing tracks on Patreon, they are stunning always!

[@oscarm4154]

Thx. Excellent👌 made my Pod Go WL even better. Cheers

[@lawrenrich6419]

Thx for this .. I bought a stomp because of you and all these nuggets of info are great 👍

[@neal_laugman]

I'm destined to do the same thing. No matter what I try I cannot get those beautiful legato tones of John's

[@axe2001]

I bought your ampero patches and am very satisfied

[@alexmbrenner]

Totally agree. I love the Ganymede so much.

[@NedJeffery]

My favourites are the Glitz and Searchlight. But I'll definitely give the plate another look.

[@CaffeineInjected]

You have become one ☝️ f my favorite KZbin guitar players. Beautiful sounds.

[@sacredgeometry]

Sounds lovely btw (as always)

[@austinmichels5527]

Killer and simple preset, great tone! Would love to see the dynamic range or verbs up against the strymon stuff!

[@JohnMcGFrance]

I really like the reverbs and the delays in my HX Stomp. Certainly the best I’ve owned, but I haven’t tried Strymon, Eventide etc. The Stomp is by far my favourite bit of kit!

[@IamMusicNerd]

This is funny. I thought I was the only one using a multi-effects unit for my reverb and delays and chorus. I have always been partial to the old classic Boss digital delay and reverbs and CE2, so I just use the GT1000 core unit on my board. Saves me a ton of space and money, and sounds great!

[@saltstream]

Sounds great. The Stomp does get a lot of bad press regarding the reverb options available but this is stunning.

[@oliverrea997]

That intro playing is sublime…

[@williamwsmusic]

The best KZbin channel

[@veraroquete4698]

What a wondeful immersive experience.

[@orcsong]

It’s a beautiful sound. I think much of it has to do with your chord choices and voicings. I’d be really interested hear your thoughts and process behind those. I’ve noticed them for a while and as much as I appreciate your legato skill there’s a lot of “music” in those chords.

[@BobRossa]

Its my favorite reverb too. I love the whole dynamic reverb series. I liked the Helix reverbs before they came along but they destroyed my reverb envy

[@tossedpenny]

It really is that great. L6 really knocked it out of the park with that particular software update and all the other goodies included in it.

[@dilenardafranck2449]

great sound for great playin'

[@johndelacruz11]

Yes. Some H90 vids would be lovely mate. 💯

[@amsterdamned6209]

Wow didn't expect this from line 6!

[@andrewbenon]

We need a lesson on the chords you're playing in this video. Beautiful!

[@itsgthompson]

HeyJohn. Love the tone, Can't seem to find this on the link after purchasing, would be great to know where to find it. Also if dealing in tones for a Tele what would you recommend?

[@JBStreeter]

Broooo that riff at 2:30🔥🔥🔥

[@rumy6871]

Loved the playing and sound. How about Helix reverb for use in a rock band? What's a good approach for power chord songs like Living on a Prayer? What about for for funkier tracks with slinky chords like Get Lucky?

[@TLMuse]

I'm doing a repeat viewing of this 6 mo later (reminded by your new post of the backing track on Patreon). I have to echo @jasonkucharski7411 in saying this is one of your "keeper" openings. I just love the melodies-not just the opening theme in the lead, but the melodies you come up with throughout. This is one I'll have to slice off of YT for my audio player (I didn't just say I'd do that!). Re: the topic of the video, that dynamic plate reverb used for the background motif is extraordinarily nicely tuned for guitar-you were able to add lots of ambience, with the direct tone never seeming muddied by the verb. BTW, damping doesn't control how much hi end is "let into the reverb chamber" (so to speak); you can do that with EQ if you want. Rather, damping refers to how much the hi end gets damped as it bounces around the virtual room. Roughly speaking, it controls the hi-end absorption of the (virtual) walls/floor/ceiling. -Tom

[@MikesChalkdustGr00ve]

Love this - is the preset available anywhere?

[@GovernorSilver]

Thanks for this informative video. I've been pondering how to build a preset that inspired behavior of a piano damper pedal. On a real piano, if I play a C Major arpeggio while stepping on the damper pedal, the piano sustains a C Major chord - sadly the Poly Sustain effect does not to do this. I'm thinking Dynamic Plate with mix or decay controlled by expression pedal might give me what I want. Toe down on the the exp. pedal to sustain everything I'm playing, toe up to fade off the sustained notes.

[@Herfinnur]

No wonder I haven't likes the Dynamic reverbs:I've been doing the exact opposite things to try and achieve exactly what you're achieving here. Just pulling the damping further and further down and compensating with the high and low filters. My favorite reverb in the Helix ecosystem hath thus far been the reverb side of the Heliosphere delay. Often set to 100 wet on the B path with the reverse delay and/or octave reverb before it and sometimes the Centaur after it in stereo for some grit

[@robertnorman8984]

I agree I saw these getting a bad rap everywhere. First there’s a ton to pick from. Second they sound pretty damn good. The shimmer is the best shimmer I’ve heard. The issue I was having is some sort of distorting on the trails. Idk if it’s a dsp issue or what. But I’ve had the blue sky Ventris night sky hit skylar and big sky. I like these verbs

[@ksharpe10]

Just want that metallicy sound. A sausage was checkin you out. Love those Dogs.

[@SuperBartles]

Heh after the first note I opened Amazon to see whether they were available

[@Arthur_My_Dear]

Hey John, just signed up for your general Helix patches on Gumroad - I’m interested in the freeze and pad ones to, but is there any way to preview them? Cheers

[@elshadayvidracaria9160]

Som zera amigo Top demais

[@sboy1955]

Worshipful 🤙🏽

[@jamlsn]

Beautiful sound! I have a Helix LT and never knew this lived in there. Changing the subject, for your video recordings and the huge sound you get, do you have a video of your setup? Like, are we hearing studio monitors, direct through a DAW? Trying to get a huge in the room/speaker sound out of my Helix so not sure the best way to go with that. But appreciate your videos and love your tone with whatever you put together!

[@sjsphotog]

John made at least 1 or 2 videos here on that very topic. Search for his name and recording setup or something like that or use the mag glass icon on his ribbon of his feed to search all his videos

[@jamlsn]

@@sjsphotog Thanks, will do!

[@paulversey6589]

The reverbs, delays and amps are awesome in the HX but i just can't get used to the drives Johnathan. Running a hybrid setup of a couple of analog drives with the stomp works a treat but maybe you could show us how to dial in a good drive sound that has some feeling ?

[@Francis23777]

Dear John, in which folder is this preset located? Thanks a lot. Great playing as always.

[@matt_greene]

Unrelated. But why did you get rid of the Henriksen bud? I'm thinking of getting one for Jazz practice at home. Thoughts?

[@russelrw]

Hi John thanks for this. Can you direct me to where on your Gumroad I can actually find this preset? I can't seem to locate it

[@sacredgeometry]

It always baffles me how much self awareness you must lack to blame tools when there is clear evidence of the tools not being the problem.

[@brandonbrunious]

😅

[@Alex_Martz]

Have you seen the new Chase Bliss pedal "Reverse Mode C"?, can you make a video on how to get a similar sound with Helix?

[@socalwill9876]

The Glitz reverb maxed out but run in parallel does this rich Strymon-depth ringing as well; the Devin Townsend factory preset is basically an instructional course on the Helix reverb set (not surprising from the guy who has his own reverb pedal)

[@johnong2655]

which preset is that?

[@socalwill9876]

@@johnong2655 Factory 1 25C "DEVIN TOWNSEND"; he has multiple sets of reverb arrangements here available through the Stomp interface, his usual reverb-delay-reverb trick and even an Infinite hold feature. Note that it was created well before any of the recent updates, so he has to manually stereo the cabs and there's some legacy stuff in there that could now be improved upon.

[@paulmyfinger]

Is the stomp and the floor still the same effect wise? Im thinking of trading down

[@darthstrings1]

John do you track reverbs when do recording?

[@guitarplayer1969]

I have your preset pack but can't find "BestVerb" in the folders. What folder is this preset in your pack?

[@johnong2655]

Then What would be the best delay to mimic eventide or Strymon delays?

[@jaymax3201]

This is the ultimate multistomp. People will want the new pedals when they are announced, but after a week of sober thinking, I know I don't need them.

[@ThomasHope73]

I recently got a UAFX Golden Reverberator, but haven’t ever used a Helix. Anyone have experience of both? How do their reverbs compare?

[@marais888]

I couldn't find BestVerb in the folder, could you help? Did it become HeavenVerb

[@Skypor]

Hi Jon, do sound guys like dly/rev intensive sounds? Or they do prefer dry?

[@klanggrenze3905]

Hi Skypor, I know, you didn't ask ME, but as a sound guy and guitarist using quite a bit of delays especially I would say this: If it's an integral part of the sound like e.g. in the opening song: sure! It's part of the instrument for me. If it's a more complex arrangement and the keyboard player and the other guitarist bring their FX as well, it might get cluttered, undefined and useless. Especially in less than perfect sounding venues, less is more. It's like seasoning a good dish: it can make it delicious and too much can ruin it. I always soundcheck with all FX the way I like them on stage and a good sound guy will let me know, when it is too much... Enjoy experimenting, m. 🙂

[@dash4786]

So is the only way to get the most out of the HX stomp is going through some powered monitors? Or through an amp? I want to take the dive into this effects pedal but I don't know if I should buy monitors or maybe a Mesa boogie to play through

[@sjsphotog]

Yes if using a modeler you need FRFR or studio monitors or headphones. Plugging into front of amp will color the sound as that's an amp into an amp unless you just use modeler for effects and not the amp. If using amp then go into effects loop of the amp and turn don't use a cab block. See Jason Sadites channel lots of good tips

[@klanggrenze3905]

Biggest let down here is, that most amps are mono. But in a stereo setup it certainly can be big fun as well... Cheers, m. 🙂

[@jakestewartmusic]

I would love to see a direct comparison of Helix to Eventide H90 I genuinely think that Helix reverbs are excellent (especially the Dynamic verbs), you just have to know what you're doing with them

[@GuiitarBilly]

Agree. I’ve long felt that one of the attractions of the H9 and newer boxes like the Strymon Cloud, Halo and some of the Maris (sp) stuff is that they’ve done a bunch of the work for you. These days I’m tempted to go that route lol, just buy a box full of great presets. But a bunch of it seems all there in the Helix…and probably Fractals too. John Cordy did a Halo -type reverb/delay in the Helix awhile back that sounded wonderful.

[@jakestewartmusic]

Funny, I'm the opposite - I want granular control of sound design! That being said, I play both guitar and synth through my Stomp, as well as use Native for production, so I'm comfortable with sound design. I find that the Helix ecosystem excels at this I'd mostly love to see a Eventide vs Line 6 shootout bc Eventide is arguably regarded the gold standard for digital effects. There's a surprising lack of decent comparisons of the two. I suspect that the L6 will hold its own better than most would expect. There's a sort of narrative out there that L6 effects (esp reverbs) are lacking and that they can't be as good as dedicated effects units. Would love to see someone test that

[@Takianagi]

Is this in your gum road folder? 🤔🔥🎶🎸🙌

[@robmarmaduke]

The hx stomp is out of stock in all the big retailers, do you think this means a new version is about to be released?

[@sjsphotog]

Just means more people realize just how good it is Keeps getting better with all the new free updates and new things they add every 6 months. Can't beat L6 customer service and the Helix community.

[@ibanezman1025]

The dynamic reverbs were a step forward for helix but I still feel that they pale in comparison to what fractal reverbs offer, both in terms of richness of tone and flexibility (infinite hold, stack, etc). Set a fractal verb to ultra quality, play a chord and it just envelopes you in that rich 3d sound. Almost like an old eventide or lexicon rack, though not quite there.

[@FabrizioPeretti]

I'm struggling getting these great reverbs in the front of my clean amp. Love them direct in stereo but with the amp they don't diffuse as much. What about a video on that matter John??

[@klanggrenze3905]

Yay, stereo is just more fun for sure in this topic...

[@FabrizioPeretti]

@@klanggrenze3905 useful as well! We don't use backing tracks in my band so it's helpful with layers

[@MattFicarra]

I really like that reverb as well but don't use it as much as I'd like because I have a POD Go and it uses a lot of DSP.

[@101xaplax101]

you are so fucking good.....its not the electronics

[@loopie007]

"Kinda Sniffy" What a nice way to say....

[@dasczwo]

gfi skylar/specular tempus. the spatium just is rigth. uafx ruby into hx stomp into spectemp leaves the hx to run all those amazing delay algos in parallel. generaly with the hx delay times with the hx are too short for me. workaround: path a dry, path b 1 or a couple of simple delays set to max time and mix to 100. then some glitch/pitch/reverse delays. oh. getting of topic, srry. hx is just the most potent delaymachine around. nice verbs too but meh..

[@charleswilliams4059]

There have been a few links showing how Helix reverb can be utilised to get the Shadows Hank Marvin Apache/Wonderful Land.simulated effect, but its useless....and therefore does not appear that versatile

[@swardmusic]

fun in the bedroom gets lost live i find

[@JamesFlorio-ti8gc]

Every reverb in Hx is simply not dynamic and sounds too dark with no bell or chime. I actually do love some of them still. But ever since I put the walrus slo at the end of every patch I built the sparkle is there in every clean patch. On leads the slo fills the room with sound. And by some sort of walrus magic lol it feels soo much more dynamic and natural under the fingers it makes me forget I'm playing a modeler

[@johnong2655]

flip the damping all the way up

[@JamesFlorio-ti8gc]

@@johnong2655 ahhh I haven't done that I really appreciate it dude 😎

[@JamesFlorio-ti8gc]

So I tried the damping , low cut n high cut. Does sound great but no where near the quality out of the slo. Not even a comparison. You need to use your sloer at the end of the chain in the loop and I think you will see what I'm saying. Have a blessed day dude 😎👊

[@martiboucat]

Line 6 should make a DL-2 in a UA Delverb fashion... Just knobs for people who fears menus. The new DL4 format is great, looks less like an old car and more BOSSy and people would go for it. The clunky stigma is disappearing thanks to the HX Stomp. And they already have the algorythms, right?

[@AlecBourneMidiMadScientist]

Midi controllers, especially with the stomp. There are a number of more desk style ones with knobs that make menu usage obsolete, if you’re fidgeting with parameters this is a wonderful thing to have at hand

[@martiboucat]

@@AlecBourneMidiMadScientist Yes! They should do that too. They thought we'd like to switch from the Stomp to the Stomp XL instead of getting a Morningstar but they should do a Line6 version of the MC6 or the Pirate Midi thing...

[@dracul74]

Imo, it’s not the helix verbs are bad… it’s more that the market has lots of great reverb pedals that are more interesting. Strymon, Walrus Audio, Eventide, Catalina Bread all have ones I like.

[@emmomartins5383]

these are great, I do love the helix, the only thing that sucks big time are the compressors. totally unusable.

[@ThomasHope73]

Oh, that’s a shame, I would consider a Stomp, but poor compressor algorithms would make it a hard pass. Anyone else got experience of the compressors on the HX Stomp? It’d be good to get more opinions.

[@rhitosparsha]

@@ThomasHope73 not a Stomp user but I've messed around with Helix Native. The compressors seem to work great for me. Especially after they added the gain reduction meters, I can easily dial in what I want. The only thing I'm missing is a model of something along the lines of an 1176.

[@keithb5612]

Very nice indeed. Have you tried the UAFX DEL VERB pedal yet. Sounds like quality algorithms for Plate, Hall and Spring verbs.... Also has delay and an expansive app for both too. Also.... would you kiss your bass player while doing a live gig in Malaysia? Just a little bit of current The 1975 politics😉

[@rumy6871]

What I heard: This guy works at MI6 and designed the reverbs. What you said: This guy works at Line 6. 😂 USA and the UK two peoples separated by a common language!

[@89ji76]

I’m a big believer in the GT-1000 Core but this is the area where hands down the HX Stomp is the winner. The reverbs are top tier.

[@ramon2008]

The gt 1000 core has kinda been disappointing. I wanna get the gm 800 but boss has been kind of a letdown lately. If line 06 released something to compete with the gm-800 that would be pretty rad.

[@89ji76]

@@ramon2008 the GT-1000 is lacking in certain effects but no other pedal of its size can do the signal chains I’m trying to do. It’s disappointing in some ways but also it can run a LOT of effects and many separate signal chains.

[@ramon2008]

@@89ji76 yeah true. Don’t get me wrong I’m not selling mine anytime haha and if I get the gm-800 I’m definitely doing that combo and I can see it being pretty awesome

[@89digits59]

Agree, Helix has some of the best reverbs I have heard, pedals like Boss RV series and even the Strymon Bigsky makes no sense investing in, Helix Stomp is the best pedal this decade so far, I even owned the Full Helix floor, but sold the same, was too big for me and I don't need that kind of processing power, as backup I have bought the Native, which I hardly use, but feel nice to have it in reserve.

[@ToneDeth.]

yes i still skip through your intro playing. but just wanted to say the lick at 2:30 stopped me as i was skipping because it reminded me of a part of a VHS or Beta song. i then proceeded to skip through to the talking. but just wanted to let you know that the lick at 2:30 stopped me in my tracks literally.

[@101xaplax101]

time to move past the legato sewing machine stuff and play slow intentional, meaningful notes...........emulate human speaking.....eaves drop on conversations in a restaurant and the phrasing..........it changes with the emotional content of what is being said and happening......that is the door that we all need to walk through..........that will evolve music

[@jeremyjensen7144]

I'm sorry, but those reverb sounds don't hold a candle to the Big Sky.