• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Dingwall Owners Club

#24,481
Smallmouth_Bass said:
Is there a bass synth in the HX Stomp?
Click to expand...

There is, yep, though it's probably the weakest point in the Helix range at the moment, and Line 6/reviewers are pretty honest about it. L6 have hired a bunch of polyphonic experts apparently to work for them, so the future will be interesting.

I think that's the other part of the Helix/modelling world that I like. For the most part, there's no huge push to upgrade. The incremental software updates and improvements make it worth it instead.
 
#24,482
Selta said:
One very key thing with modelers is to stop thinking about instrument-centric ideas and instrument-specific "amps", "cabs" or "fx". Basically, throw everything you think you know about all of the above away, and start over. The general idea in modeling is use whatever in the box will get you what you're going after, regardless of what name or "type" of component it would be in the real world. It's a difficult thing for some folks to grasp -- they feel that if XYZ thing isn't present, then it won't make XYZ sound, when the truth is much more intricate than that.
Click to expand...

Yep, agreed. Took me a long while to get there.

They more should serve as a starting point to a reference sound you're looking for. Then tweak from there.
I can respect that not everyone is a tweaker though - sometimes it's nice to just plug in and turn up.
 
#24,487
been_effected said:
Yep, agreed. Took me a long while to get there.

They more should serve as a starting point to a reference sound you're looking for. Then tweak from there.
I can respect that not everyone is a tweaker though - sometimes it's nice to just plug in and turn up.
Click to expand...

I like the idea of tweaking millions of settings, but in reality I am more of a set it and forget it type of player. I want a handful of good sounds I can count on.

For one band, I use chorus on two tunes and could use an octave for one tune, but don't because I have limited room on my mini pedal board.

My other band I use a dual filter (bassballs) and filter, a reverb and a bass synth, all for one song each. The song I use the synth is for Earth Wind & Fire's Groove Tonight.

Other than that, it is just a little compression and a tuner pedal.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: reddavid
#24,489
Smallmouth_Bass said:
I like the idea of tweaking millions of settings, but in reality I am more of a set it and forget it type of player. I want a handful of good sounds I can count on.

For one band, I use chorus on two tunes and could use an octave for one tune, but don't because I have limited room on my mini pedal board.

My other band I use a dual filter (bassballs) and filter, a reverb and a bass synth, all for one song each. The song I use the synth is for Earth Wind & Fire's Groove Tonight.

Other than that, it is just a little compression and a tuner pedal.
Click to expand...

I love tweaking, but ultimately I use a lot of defaults unless my pedal will save my tweaking. I love pedals that have presets for this reason.
 
#24,490
FYI - there is a D-Bird up on E-Bay (not mine) if anyone is looking for one

EDIT: It is from Japan, so I don't know how well the pricing would be compared. Actually looks like a few of them from Japan, though the white one I saw seems more comparable to pricing we'd usually see.
 
Last edited:
#24,492
I just sold my Helix, but I'm firmly in the "modeling is the future" camp. The leaps and bounds that companies like Fractal, Line 6, and Kemper have made in the tech are mind-blowing. From my own experiences with the Helix to everything I've seen on YT and other places, the sounds and tones we all dig are in these boxes, we've just gotta find them. I got an amazing sound out of the Helix. I'm planning on getting a Helix Stomp for the short-term, and replacing that with an Axe-FX III or an AX-?, after I finish paying for my Dingwalls!

I'd love to show up for a gig, without a rig, and know that I'm gonna have the same, killer sound I had the week before...!
 
#24,493
pbass6811 said:
I just sold my Helix, but I'm firmly in the "modeling is the future" camp. The leaps and bounds that companies like Fractal, Line 6, and Kemper have made in the tech are mind-blowing. From my own experiences with the Helix to everything I've seen on YT and other places, the sounds and tones we all dig are in these boxes, we've just gotta find them. I got an amazing sound out of the Helix. I'm planning on getting a Helix Stomp for the short-term, and replacing that with an Axe-FX III or an AX-?, after I finish paying for my Dingwalls!

I'd love to show up for a gig, without a rig, and know that I'm gonna have the same, killer sound I had the week before...!
Click to expand...
Why switch to Fractal?
NaH said:
FYI - there is a D-Bird up on E-Bay (not mine) if anyone is looking for one

EDIT: It is from Japan, so I don't know how well the pricing would be compared. Actually looks like a few of them from Japan, though the white one I saw seems more comparable to pricing we'd usually see.
Click to expand...
I think this is up on Reverb too.
 
#24,494
johnsonabq said:
Why switch to Fractal?
Click to expand...

Well, I had a Fractal FX-8, and the sound quality of the Effects is just a wee bit more pristine than, pretty much, anything else. The FX-8 didn't have the amp models, so I decided to go back to my Helix, but I just love the Fractal effects. Plus I liked the Axe-edit software better than the Helix editor.

There's gotta be a reason why a bunch of big name individuals and bands are using the Fractal stuff...;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: AB Nate
#24,495
I don't know if I'm "allowed" to spill the beans, but a certain well regarded indie bass magazine is doing a shootout between the Helix and the AX8. I may have facilitate and egged this on in a couple different ways ;). While it won't be the be all, end all it'll cover a lot of ground. The reviewer is only getting to spend about a month with each unit, which is enough time to get familiar with them but not go hog wild with the deep settings.
 
#24,496
Bassheart365 said:
Cool. My main band is an R&B/Funk cover band. The effects I need are to mostly synth bass oriented. Does the Fractal have good synth bass presets?
Click to expand...

I have an AX8; it didn’t come with any synth presets. There is a synth block that you can attempt to set up along with other blocks like octaver, fuzz and wah to achieve something. The synth block requires quite a bit of fiddling just get it to fire reliably.
 
#24,497
pbass6811 said:
Well, I had a Fractal FX-8, and the sound quality of the Effects is just a wee bit more pristine than, pretty much, anything else. The FX-8 didn't have the amp models, so I decided to go back to my Helix, but I just love the Fractal effects. Plus I liked the Axe-edit software better than the Helix editor.

There's gotta be a reason why a bunch of big name individuals and bands are using the Fractal stuff...;)
Click to expand...
Well, going with the AX8 would save money. Hmmm...
 
#24,499
Flabzilla said:
I have an AX8; it didn’t come with any synth presets. There is a synth block that you can attempt to set up along with other blocks like octaver, fuzz and wah to achieve something. The synth block requires quite a bit of fiddling just get it to fire reliably.
Click to expand...
Ok, that's a good thing for me. One less thing to spend my money on :) I'll stick with my "old school" pedal board. And, eventually, my NG2 FretTrax.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Flabzilla

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back