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I just received the Helix Rack yesterday so I only have a few hours in the drivers seat but that's enough to learn how truly awesome this thing is. I've owned a lot of Line 6 products over the last 20 years, in fact I still have a spider V240 and a POD HD Pro X but the Helix is so far out of their league they will probably never get used again in my studio. The design is sleek, easy to navigate, user friendly and just all around beautifully designed. The large full color screen is not only eye catching but makes navigating the menus effortless. Even though I'm modeler savvy, I've had no previous experience with Impulse Responses, in fact, I hadn't even heard of them until I started researching the Helix Rack and quite honestly I didn't think that I would care to use them... Well... I was wrong. It's amazing what these things do for the quality and authenticity of my tones when recording. As I mentioned earlier I only have 2 days under my belt at this point but most of that has been recording scratch tracks just to hear the result of these I.R's. I also love the fact that Line 6 still adds all of the necessary physical knobs and controls to their equipment in the days of everything being digital. The idea that I can play almost uninterrupted while tweaking many different parameters on the unit itself without a pedal is always a selling point for me. Not taking anything away from the foot controller but when I'm seated in front of my rack, using my hands to adjust the unit itself is just somewhat more convenient at times. Next, the user space... I thought that my POD HD Pro X had a lot of space for user presets but It has nothing on the Helix. I will probably never fill all of the user List's or even come close to it but It's always better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it. Also, let me jump back to the large screen again, I have a laptop on which I keep all of my editing software for my studio equipment. I always plug in my Spider V240 and POD and use the Spider V Remote and POD HD Pro X edit software respectfully because in most cases sitting behind my recording console and tweaking my sound is just much easier to do with the computer apps than the equipment. The Helix is the first and only piece of equipment I've owned where the display is laid out and organized in a way that is very similar to a computer or tablet app and so even though I have the Helix Edit app running on my computer right next to me, making adjustments on the front of the Helix Rack in many cases is actually easier and faster than grabbing a mouse and using the comp app. I could write much more describing my total satisfaction thus far but I will wait 'till I have used it for another month or so and update my review at that time. I will leave you with this thought. While conveying my total happiness to my brother last night regarding the Helix Rack, I went so far as to say that I feel that this could be the last guitar processer I ever buy and if not it's pretty close.

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Ive been playing guitar and bass for a while now and i have to say this unit is amazing. I bought a mesa boogie roadster not to long ago for recordiing and live use. Its and amazing amp but its to loud in my home studio for recording i kept getting complaints so i started looking for an FX unit. At first it was hard to justify why o should buy this over the kemper when the kepmer was only 300 more and it sounds exactly like the real amp. But what leaned me towards the line 6 helix is ALL THE POSSABLITIES, this unit is amazing i can usr it in so many ways. Theyres a lot of cool fx to play around with on this. I started creating music i never thought i would sonce i didnt own all those type of fx pedals.

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I've been working with Helix now for about 2 and a half months. After my extremely positive experience with HD 500 (I have had one since the very first days it was available), I expected good things, but I was truly surprised by how Helix exceeded my expectations. In-depth descriptions of features and capabilities are available elsewhere, so I'll just briefly summarize my experience in terms of what Helix brings NEW to the table, vs. previous Line 6 modelers. 1. Flexibility. This is the big thing right here. 4 totally separate paths that can be linked or not linked, that can work together or separately. For instance, if you wanted to run an acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar and vocals through this at the same time, with 4 discrete inputs, you can. You can even manage separate outputs for them, some mono and some stereo, if you wish. That's not an ideal situation, because horsepower will be limited, but in theory, it actually can be done. What's more likely is that you will want, perhaps, two separate amp chains, even with some shared FX and some not, or perhaps, as I do, a piezo-equipped electric guitar plugged in, switching between acoustic, electric, or both, each with their own FX, on the fly. I can get about twice as many FX going in Helix as I could with HD 500, and I can get the kind of flexibility that allows me to stay on one patch for an entire set of material if I want. With HD 500, I might have needed 2 or 3 different patches. 2. Ease of Use. Rather than describe this, I will tell you that I'm a manual reader. I read the manual before my Helix arrived. When it did, within about 2 days, I misplaced the manual... for two months... I didn't bother looking for it. It's that easy. Online discussions helping navigate things you wouldn't think you could do with this product abound, too, so get online and learn. It's amazing. 3. Sound quality. I'm going to go ahead and say that I like most of the FX in the HD 500 probably just as much as Helix. Some that are in HD 500 that aren't here (like "Comet Trails") I like messing around with. At this point (early March 2016) I feel like Line 6 needs to add more FX to the box to really "finish it off" (there are fewer FX here than in HD 500), but I can do everything I need here, and I love the FX that are here now. A few of the FX in Helix are vastly improved from HD 500 (I like the verbs WAY better), and some of the new stuff is downright wonderful. The Klon and Timmy gain pedals are simply better than any analog gain pedal I've used, and the Studio Comp is an integral part of every single patch I write. But where we really see the biggest tone improvement in Helix... is... 3a. Amp tones. If you are the kind of guy who plays full-bore, never messes with the volume knob on your guitar, and just needs to be heard loud, you might think the HD 500 sounds just as good, but Helix is more responsive to playing dynamics on the amps I use (mostly the Matchless, /13, Dr. Z, and Fender amp models), you are going to be in heaven. This is as responsive as the best amps I've ever played through. I love taking a clean amp and setting up an EXP to gently toggle to a distorted sound, then add a Timmy or Klon. then back off the volume control on your guitar and it cleans up like (or sometimes better and more predictably than) a real amp. btw. DO NOT USE AMP + CAB MODELS. Use the amp only, then add a dual cab, and have at it. 3b. IRs. I don't use 3rd party speaker cab emulations, but I do use IRs to process my acoustic guitar signal. This has revolutionized my ability to make my acoustic sound great live. IRs already have changed the way I record acoustic guitar, meaning I don't need or want to even bother with miking my acoustic in anything resembling a dense mix. In short, I totally adore this product. One last thing... if you are thinking of getting Helix Rack, but not Control... don't. Get them both or get the floor version. The functionality of the remote with the scribble strips and touch sensitive buttons and on the fly editing with your feet... One of the executives from Line 6 feels so strongly about this that he recommends that if you are buying the Helix Rack without Control, he'd rather you bought a competing product. It makes that much difference. Disclaimer: I am a Line 6 beta tester, but am not compensated monetarily by Line 6 for this review. They nave not asked me to review the product, have not really influenced how much I love it, but you do need to know that they provided a product to me to test.

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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

I just got this unit today from zZounds and just as expected, it is slick and beautiful thru and thru. It feels like a brand new, leather interior, Cadillac of polished sound and I know the sky is the limit with it, judging from reading many reviews and taking note regarding how many happy and satisfied Helix community members are out there praising this thing. I have gotten the pedal board with it as well and it is also a high quality product and definitely recommended. I previously had the AXE FX II Plus and sold it to get this unit, because I was not one hundred percent satisfied with something about the sound. I would not fault the AXE FX, perhaps it was my lack of emotional endeavour to dig and dig, but I found it kinda cold and univiting to use. Regarding the Helix, this is exactly how you go about making a user friendly product and I'm going to wait to see the feedback for about a year down the road out there, if I ever decide to try the new AXE FX III again. I just find the Helix more intuitive, easier to use, looks way better interface wise, sounds Amazing, support from the community is bar-none without much competion and without added complexities and headaches, dialing in a sound you can only dream of. This unit is definitely a keeper and the zZounds folks went out of their way to ship it to me timely within two days, so kudos and what a great customer service. I will be buying from zZounds again. That is for sure!

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I was skeptical before trying the Helix Rack and Foot Control...in the past I have owned various POD’s and racks versions of Line 6 modelers...This thing is in a different league than anything they have done in the past....It’s not plug and play though..there is a learning curve...I had to spend a few months building patches,and figuring out how to get the sounds I wanted out of the unit...The amps take a lot of dialing in to get just right,but if you put in the time,you will be rewarded..I love the routing options and snapshots...I highly recommend getting some IR’s to make the amps sound there best...The FX are very good too...I am now using it in 4cm with an EVH 5150III,best rig I have ever had...that’s where the Helix shines in my opinion,being able to incorporate it into your rig,whatever that may be.....it’s a switcher,an IR loader,a complete brain for your rig....I use it in 4cm with a real amp,or into my studio monitors...it’s also a great recording interface...it’s an amazing piece of gear....ease of use,HX Editor,and the sound makes this a no brainer....I am very happy with the unit...it’s become the centerpiece for my entire rig...

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I made the choice to just spend the money on the Helix after a pretty bad experience with the POD HD. All of my concerns with the POD and it's recommended foot switch were overcome with the purchase of the Helix. Kudo's to zZounds, they took back the Pod, and I had the Helix on it's way with no calls, no trying to convince me to give it a little time. I wasn't happy, and that's all that mattered. Now, the Helix is very intuitive to operate and everything is plainly marked on the front of the unit. Menu's are easy to find, and navigate through. Plug this monster into your computer, and you can just about make this thing do the dishes. All amp models sound very realistic, and there are seemingly endless options for effects, both new and "Vintage". They name them differently, but in the manual it explains that the "Red Compressor" is based on an "MXR Dyna Comp" One of my complaints with the POD is that a noise gate had to be put in the signal chain, On the helix, the noise gate is on the guitar input, and can be set for individual presets or patches. it's automatically there. The other complaint that I had with the POD is the foot switch. You couldn't tell by looking down what effect you were on, or what effect corresponded with which button. The Helix Control has customizable LED colors and windows that display what the effect is. It even allows you to customize what you want to call it. I don't need to see that for a preset that I'm choosing a Tube Screamer, I just need it to say "Distortion" and the Editing software allows full customization. It's an expensive box, and pedal combination, but for this "Weekend Warrior", it's so far been reliable, and very easy to use. Two Thumbs UP!!

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This Helix rack (and foot controller) is a few Astronomical Units above anything Line 6 has ever produced. The routing options, sound quality, and indistinguishable-from-the-real-thing amps and effects live in another galaxy compared to anything on the market currently. I've used Kemper, Bias, AxeFX, and just about every other amp sim box and pedal created. Line 6 outshines them all in sound, fit, and finish. I've used Line 6 gear for nearly 20 years. The UX-1 and UX-8 along with all the Pod Farm compliments traveled with me around the world and served as my mobile recording studio throughout many deployments and combat zones. I was always able to coax a believable guitar sound from their gear but with Helix, the sound leaps out of my speakers. I tested my Dr. Z with matching cab against the Line 6 version. Once I dialed in my tone, I couldn't tell the difference. My Dr.Z head cost almost twice what this rack unit costs. EVERY amp model and EVERY effect are dead-on-accurate. I stick to basic set-ups but with the Custom Tone presets, I can draw from the technically inclined users that share their complex presets. There is NOTHING on the market that can compete with this unit. I prefer the rack because I mainly use this in my studio. I bought the foot controller too and it is rugged, well built, and easily integrated. If you are a live player - this will make the FOH engineer hug you!

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this thing is so awesome, there is so much talent surrounding this thing from the engineers, programmers, techs, at line 6, to the people uploading amazing sounding presets on the CustomTone website, just amazing. $1400 there practically giving these away when you consider the technology your getting, a $1000+ tube amp is not even on the same planet as this thing like comparing a tractor to a lexus

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